The New Girl
by Cassie Bones
Summary: Football Player/Cheerleader AU. Clexa. "The first time Clarke noticed the new girl was the day cheerleading tryouts began. Clarke, being a junior and having already reserved her spot on the team, had watched her walk onto the field, wearing baggy sweats and a camisole, her gym bag slung over her shoulder." Modern AU
1. Chapter 1

**The New Girl  
(Possible Part One)**

The first time Clarke noticed the new girl was the day cheerleading tryouts began. Clarke, being a junior and having already reserved her spot on the team, had watched her walk onto the field, wearing baggy sweats and a camisole, her gym bag slung over her shoulder. Her hair was up in a ponytail and her face was completely devoid of makeup. But those weren't the things that Clarke first noticed about her.

Instead, Clarke noticed that: 1) The new girl was tall; tall and muscular, around the arms, her bare shoulders broader than she'd ever seen on such a thin girl and 2) Instead of walking towards the track, where the cross country team had their tryouts, or the left side of the field, where Clarke and the other girls on the team, along with their coach and new recruits, were having theirs, she was heading towards the right side of the field, where the boys were having football tryouts.

At Arcadia High, they were not allowed to divide sports by gender, especially since the small size of their high school (which had about 100 students, give or take) meant that their budget was rather low and resources were limited. But some things were just left unsaid. Such as only the boys tried out for football and baseball, and only the girls tried out for cheerleading and softball. Very few students had actually gone against the status quo and even fewer had been successful in their endeavors.

Watching the thin, muscular new girl walk up to where the boys were gathering, Clarke couldn't help but shake her head at her. Obviously that girl was just fooling herself. No female had ever gotten a spot on the football team. Not even Bellamy Blake, the quarterback's, sister, Octavia, who'd tried out for Kicker the previous year. Even though she was probably the best one Clarke had ever seen.

It was unfair, she knew, but that's how things worked at Arcadia High.

Still, she watched. Even as she danced and jumped and clapped her hands and cheered. Even as they called her forth to take her place as a base. Every single girl who tried out that year got a spot on the team (they only needed nine and eleven had tried out, leaving two alternates in case of emergency) and they all finished before the football team, allowing them to sit on the bleachers and observe.

By this time, Lexa had slipped pads onto her shoulders and a helmet onto her head, as well as a practice jersey given to her by the coach, Titus. Next to the other boys trying out, she looked tiny and frail, waiting for her turn to do drills. Clarke seemed to be the only one paying attention to her as the other girls cooed over the guys—some of whom were their boyfriends. Bellamy's girlfriend, Harper, was a flyer and cheered for him as he ran a drill, clapping her hands and jumping up and down. Clarke rolled her eyes and leaned back, watching as the girl went after him.

She moved with a grace that Clarke hadn't expected, what with the way her shoulders had hunched before as she walked onto the field. Now, with the pads on her shoulders, and her feet encased in cleats, the pigskin in hand, the girl's legs moved with such ease it was almost like she was floating, dodging the players that Coach Titus had instructed to block her. Clarke found herself on the edge of her seat, watching her get closer and closer to the end zone, where the other tryouts cheered for her, encouraging her, clapping and whooping for her.

It surprised her that they were all just as excited at the prospect of adding their first girl to the team. She'd never seen this at any of the tryouts before—even last year, when Octavia had gotten through with next to no trouble. The only person that seemed to have any problem with it was Bellamy, who had his arms crossed over his chest, as if refusing to support her. The girl didn't care, though, and did a graceful leap into the end zone, throwing her ball down while the boys cheered and high-fived her.

Clarke found herself jumping out of her own seat and shouting "YES!" at the top of her voice, which echoed in the following silence. She blushed bright red as she looked around at her team, who all stared at her. "What?" she asked. "Aren't you guys excited? This is, like, history in the making."

"Coach isn't going to let her on the team," Harper scoffed.

"What makes you say that?"

"They have more than enough boys to fill the slots," Harper pointed out. "Most of them were on the team last year. You really think he's going to replace somebody like Lincoln for…whatever her name is."

"Lexa," somebody supplied. It was Indra, a back spot. "Her name is Lexa. She's in Ethics with me."

"She's a senior already?" Clarke asked.

Indra shook her head. "No, but she was taking the class at her old high school, in TonDC, so they allowed her to finish it up here. She's smart. And tough. I'm sure Coach Titus will see that."

"He may see it, but that doesn't mean he'll act on it. Football is a total boy's club. She can't even be in the locker room with them, so how's she going to be in on their strategizing or whatever? I'm telling you; she won't make it. If she does, then all hell will break loose."

Harper was right about one thing: all hell _did_ break loose.

The entire village was abuzz with the news that Arcadia High had welcomed its very first _female_ football player; a city girl from TonDC, which lay about a hundred miles to the North. The local newspapers and a few from other nearby towns and outside counties came to interview her. Clarke learned her real name, Alexandria Woods, from the Arcadia Tribune. She also learned that Lexa—as she preferred to be called—was recently orphaned and had moved to Arcadia with her elder sister, Anya, who had taken over guardianship of her and their younger brother, Aden. Lexa didn't talk much about the accident that had taken her parents from her, but Clarke noticed that she avoided taking the bus at all costs and often flinched when crossing the street. Clarke had seen her walking home while she drove her father's old beat-up Chevy.

Lexa Woods was an odd sort of person, she decided, when she witnessed the girl sitting alone at lunch one day, eating on the front lawn, instead of at the picnic tables with all the other kids. Many of her teammates ate outside and had often requested that she join them, but Lexa always declined. Instead, she sat alone on the grass, reading or listening to music, or just staring at the road that stretched in either direction and barely saw any cars at all during the school day. Clarke wanted to join her more than once, but didn't know what to say.

So instead she settled for seeing Lexa at practice. Cheering for her as the football team ran drills and practiced for upcoming games. She played it off as getting herself hyped up for homecoming, and practicing new cheers. Harper, who was the lead, just rolled her eyes and kept calling out formation orders to the rest of the girls.

Clarke cheered a little louder whenever Lexa scored a touchdown or wormed her way out of a tackle, her agility carrying her across the field with little to no effort. She seemed annoyed, however, when she noticed that a few of the boys were being purposefully light with her, not blocking her as fiercely as they would any of their other teammates. Lexa would yell at them, right in the middle of practice, and throw down the ball. It took a few soft words from Coach Titus to calm her down, but Clarke could see her still seething as she walked off the field after practice every day.

Again, she found herself wanting to talk to Lexa, drawn to her for some odd reason, but she didn't know what to say. "Sorry that the guys won't treat you fairly"? She could do nothing about it, especially since Coach Titus didn't even seem to be chastising them, either.

So she just watched, every day, as Lexa fought to be recognized as a member of the team, and not just some breakable girl. Clarke found herself getting mad _for_ her, incensed that they would have cheered so much about finally having a girl on their team and then treating her like a china doll or something. She made an effort to cheer the loudest for Lexa, calling her out by name. Once, the girl had turned her head in Clarke's direction and got knocked down for not paying attention.

This was the first time that Clarke actually talked to Lexa. Feeling guilty for distracting her, Clarke had thrown down her pom-poms and ran toward the field, dropping to her knees next to Lexa, who lay prone on the field.

"Are you okay?!" she asked, slightly panicked at the dazed look in Lexa's eyes.

Lexa blinked up at her for a moment, as if allowing her vision to clear, then gave Clarke a slightly dopey grin and said, "Hi," in the dreamiest voice the blonde had ever heard. It made her snort.

"Hey," she replied, smiling down at Lexa. "Are you okay? Can you remember your name?"

She could see the slight blush on Lexa's cheeks as she answered, shaking her head a little to remove the fuzz from her brain. "L-Lexa?"

"Is that a question?" Clarke teased, helping Lexa to sit up. She undid the strap under her chin and removed Lexa's helmet, releasing her messy ponytail, which was half undone by her headgear. Immediately, Clarke started running her fingers over her scalp, feeling for a bump like her mother had done so many times to her as a child when she would get herself into all kinds of trouble. "Does your head hurt?" she asked, softly. Lexa shook her head, mutely, her face growing even redder. "That's good. Can you stand up?"

"I-I think so," Lexa murmured and Clarke stood, holding out her hands to help her up. Once Lexa was on her feet, Clarke noticed their height difference. It was only a few inches, but she'd never noticed it before. Perhaps because she'd never been this close to Lexa Woods before.

"Does anything hurt?" Lexa asked, looking around at the boys surrounding them, observing them quietly. The boy who tackled Lexa, Lincoln, looked apologetic. He was one of the only boys not scared of hurting her, but Clarke could tell he was worried about the fact that he'd tackled his teammate when she wasn't even looking; possibly injuring her.

Lexa tried out her limbs and twisted her body a little, then shook her head, smiling shyly at Clarke. "I think I'm okay," she said. "Thanks."

Clarke gave her a small smile and then reached down to pluck her helmet off the ground, handing it to the footballer. "No problem," she said. "It's nice to know that, despite what _they_ think"—she gestured to the guys standing around them—"you're not actually breakable." Lexa smirked at that and Clarke giggled. "Just, uh, pay attention next time. Okay?"

"Might be easier to do," Lexa replied, "if I didn't think you were calling out for me." She lifted one eyebrow when Clarke flushed, biting her lip.

"I was cheering for you," she said, defensively. "It was supposed to be encouraging. I didn't mean to get you hurt." She looked down at her shoes, her shoulders slumping.

Lexa surprised her when her long fingers wrapped around Clarke's hand. "You didn't get me hurt," she assured her. "I just…I should've been paying attention." She squeezed Clarke's hand and Clarke looked up. "Thanks for cheering for me," Lexa said. "It helps."

Clarke gave her a big smile, her cheeks pink and warm. "Anytime," she said, her voice a little breathy. They shared a long look, green eyes locked on blue, before a cleared throat broke the connection and they both turned to see Bellamy Blake looking at them in annoyance.

"Mind if we get back to practice now?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "It's starting to get dark."

"You scared, Blake?" Clarke teased and Bellamy gave her a glare. Clarke rolled her eyes and turned back to Lexa, softening slightly. "I'll see you later?" She didn't know why she made it a question, but she felt something inside her flutter when Lexa nodded.

"Of course," she said. "See you later…uh, I'm sorry, what's your name?"

Clarke laughed, even as a flush came over her cheeks. "Clarke Griffin," she said. "We have Chemistry." At Lexa's widened eyes, Clarke realized what she'd said. "As in the class. With Dr. Jaha?" She felt her face turn to flames and her mouth go dry in retaliation. "I…I sit next to Raven Reyes."

"Is that the girl who always blows things up?" Lexa asked and Clarke laughed out loud at that.

"Yeah, that's her. I'm pretty sure she spends more time in the nurse's office with my mother than she does in her actual classes, though."

"Your mother is the nurse?"

"Of for god's sake!" another boy, named Murphy, exclaimed. "Yes! Clarke's mom is the nurse. Raven makes things go boom. You two will have time to talk _later_! Please just go back to your squad so we can continuing knocking each other's brains out!"

Both Clarke and Lexa turned the full force of their glares to him, but he didn't care, glaring back at them with his arms crossed over his chest. Clarke rolled her eyes and looked up at Lexa. "I'll see you later," she said, this time with pointed decisiveness. Lexa nodded with a small grin, then released the hand that neither of them had even realized she was still holding, and let her go.

When she got back to the squad, they were all waiting for her with tiny grins on their faces, especially Indra, who gave her a knowing look. "What?" Clarke grumbled, picking up her pom-poms.

"Nothing," Indra said, getting back into formation. But that look never left her face as they finished out their cheer.

 **Thank you all for reading! Let me know if you're interested in more because I am definitely interested in writing more of this. I've had this idea for a while now. Review and let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The next time Clarke saw Lexa sitting by herself during lunch, she joined her, bypassing her usual table where all the other girls from the squad sat. They stared at her in confusion as she walked to the front lawn and plopped down next to the new girl, who startled slightly, nearly dropping her sandwich.

"Hey Lexa," Clarke greeted, reaching into her own brown paper bag and pulling out a container with orange slices. Lexa continued to stare at her as she ate. Finally, Clarke looked at her with wide, confused eyes. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Lexa said, looking down at her lap. "It's just…don't you want to eat with your friends?"

"You're my friend," Clarke said, simply. "Aren't you?"

Lexa's face turned beet red at that, her green eyes widening almost comically. "Am I?" she asked. "I mean…are we?"

"Of course," Clarke answered for her. "Orange slice?"

Lexa shook her head, smiling shyly, then reached into her own bag and pulled out a package of cookies, offering them to Clarke. The blonde's eyes widened and she reached for them, then thought better of it. "I shouldn't."

"Do you have practice today?" Lexa asked.

"Of course," Clarke replied. "Next week is homecoming."

"Then take a cookie. You'll work it off later."

"I like that logic," Clarke laughed as she took the package from her hand, an involuntary shiver running through her when their fingers brushed. She tried her best to ignore it as she released one of the palm-sized chocolate chip cookies from its plastic wrapping and brought it to her mouth, moaning as she took a bite. "Oh god," she said. "I haven't had a cookie in forever."

"Seriously?" Lexa asked. "They're like a staple of my diet."

"Really?" Clarke asked. "You don't look like you eat that many sugary foods." Under the camisole that Lexa wore beneath her flannel shirt, Clarke could just make out some impressive abs. Defined.

"Well, I do a lot of training," Lexa informed her with a grin. "Carbs are good for energy and sugar is okay so long as I don't over indulge. The most I really allow myself is a couple of cookies at lunch and maybe, like, a bowl of ice cream after dinner."

"Sorry I'm eating like _half_ of your sugar for the day," Clarke chuckled, handing back the package with the remaining cookie in it.

"It's no big deal," Lexa laughed in return. "I could just double up on the rocky road tonight."

Clarke gasped, her eyes going wide. "Rocky road? Ooh, you have to let me in on that. I _love_ rocky road!"

"You just ate one of my cookies," Lexa teased, prompting Clarke to pout at her in return. Lexa rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, "but you owe me."

"Anything," Clarke replied, nodding solemnly.

"Wow, you really like rocky road, don't you?"

"I would kill a man for good rocky road." Clarke's face was dead serious and, for a moment, Lexa looked terrified. Then a slow, evil smile spread Clarke's lips and she laughed, receiving a light shove.

"Clarke!" Lexa groaned.

"You didn't actually think I was serious, did you?" Clarke chuckled, shaking her head.

"You are a very good actor," Lexa replied, looking back towards the direction of the road in front of them, where a car sped a little too fast in a school zone. Clarke saw her flinch and her laughter died as she followed her gaze to the line of trees across the road.

"What are you always looking at out here?" she asked, quietly, after a long moment.

Lexa took a deep breath and diverted her gaze to her lap. "TonDC," she said, softly. "It's…it's in that direction." She nodded towards the tree. "Straight ahead 107 miles north." She took a deep breath. "My parents are buried in Trikru Cemetery."

At that, Clarke felt her heart twinge and she reached down to wrap her hand around Lexa's in the grass, squeezing it. "I'm sorry," she whispered and Lexa gave her a sad smile.

"It's been six months now," she said. "It doesn't hurt as bad. I just wish…"

"Wish you could visit them?" Clarke asked and Lexa nodded. "I feel the same way." At Lexa's raised brow, Clarke explained, "My dad is buried there, too. Some kind of family thing. My mom and I go every year on the anniversary."

"How—I mean…never mind, you don't have to—"

"It's okay. I…I was nine and it was some kind of accident at work. Construction. He was an architect, but he was at the site to check out how his building was coming along." Clarke looked down at the grass. "We were supposed to go to a ball game that day. I waited on the front steps of our house for hours, just waiting for him to come home." She bit her lip, trying to quell the tears. "He never did."

Without warning, Lexa let go of Clarke's hand and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug that shocked the blonde. But, after a long moment, Clarke found herself sinking in to Lexa's embrace.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Lexa whispered into her hair. Clarke took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for yours," she replied and she felt Lexa's arms tighten around her for an instant.

When they pulled back, the girls shared a long look, their eyes searching one another—for what, neither of them quite knew. Lexa was the first to break contact, reaching down for her bag and pulling out yet another sandwich. She caught the look Clarke was giving her in her peripheral and blushed.

"What?" she said. "I have practice today too, you know."

Clarke snorted and shook her head as she went back to her orange slices and pulled out her own sandwich—peanut butter and jelly on rye. They ate in companionable silence.

Practice was cut short by a random storm that hadn't been forecast, either by the news or the scant cloud cover above. _A rain shower_ , Clarke's mind supplied as she and the other girls, and the entire football team, ran into the nearby gym, all soaked to the bone by the time they ran the five hundred feet from the field.

"At least we're not wearing our uniforms today," Clarke sighed as she rung out her hair in the locker room. Most of the girls murmured in agreement as they dried themselves off with a few of the towels that the school provided. "You guys wanna run a few more cheers before we call it a day?"

"Why not?" Harper replied, tying her hair into a bun. "Maybe the rain will stop soon and we can go back out."

"I don't think it's a good idea to jump around in the mud," a voice said and they all turned to the doorway, where Lexa stood, her arms bare and wrapped around her jersey and pads. Most of the girls stared at her, as if she were an intruder in a private space. Clarke and Indra, on the other hand, smiled in greeting.

"True," Clarke said, nodding. She turned to Harper. "We can cut practice short today and go an extra hour tomorrow." Harper nodded and a few of the girls groaned, but she ignored them.

"Alright," she said, looking around the room. "We'll go over a few lifts and cheers and then you're all free to go. But tomorrow, you're all staying until six."

More groans, but nobody fought as Harper led them back out to the gym. Clarke stayed behind and walked up to Lexa. "We're still on for rocky road tonight, right?" she asked.

Lexa nodded. "If you still want it," she replied and Clarke could swear she saw a faint flush on the footballer's cheeks.

"Of course I do," she assured Lexa. "I'm looking forward to it, actually."

"Really?" Clarke's eyes widened at the surprise in Lexa's tone and, for the first time, she noticed how Lexa often refused to meet her eye, and bit her lip a little nervously. And the way her shoulders hunched slightly.

She was not used to people being nice to her, to people _wanting_ to hang out with her. Clarke wondered why that was. From what she knew of Lexa, she was a good person; a little shy, very quiet, but funny and sweet and generous (if her willingness to share her cookies and ice cream was anything to go by, anyway). She couldn't see a single reason why anybody wouldn't like her.

"Yeah," Clarke said, softly. "Of course, I also want to pick your brain on your workout regimen, because those arms…wow." Clarke felt her own face flush as she stared down at Lexa's biceps, which _were_ rather impressive. Obviously, training had done her well.

Now, Lexa grinned and Clarke could swear she was flexing said biceps. "Thanks," she said. "I work out." Clarke snorted and rolled her eyes, then shoved her shoulder lightly.

"I'll see you later, dork," she said, smiling affectionately. Lexa smiled back, watching as she left.

Once Clarke was out of sight, Lexa groaned and pressed her forehead against her locker. "Stupid," she murmured to herself.

After their practice in a very cramped gym (Coach Titus had decided to run drills with his team, as well, rather than lose out on any amount of practice before homecoming) Clarke had gotten dressed and sat down on the bleachers to wait for Lexa, who had finally convinced the guys that it was alright to tackle her.

She was at the bottom of a dog pile with Lincoln, Murphy, and Bellamy when Titus blew his whistle and they all scrambled to their feet, along with the rest of the team. The coach walked down the line, studying each of them. "Next week," he said, "is homecoming—as you should all know by now—which means several things. The first, and most important, is our first game of the season against Azgeda. As you all know, Azgeda High is our biggest rival this year. Last year, they beat us out of the championship—"

"They cheated!" Bellamy spat.

"That's never been proven," Coach replied. "But I don't doubt it. This year, I've heard rumors of a 'secret weapon'."

Bellamy scoffed. "Probably what they're calling the balls they deflated."

"Haven't they always had deflated balls?" Murphy snorted as he high-fived Bellamy. Lexa rolled her eyes and shot a look at Clarke, who shrugged.

"This is serious, men," Titus interrupted their chortling. "And, er, Woods." A few snickers.

"I don't mind being called a man, Coach," Lexa said, shrugging one shoulder. "I'm probably the only one on the team, actually." Lincoln grinned next to her and nudged her with his elbow. The rest of the guys didn't mind it as funny; most of them grumbled or sent her glares.

"Anyway," Titus went on, "I expect you all to work on your own fitness regiments outside of practice, especially in the coming days. And make sure you eat plenty of carbs and keep up that energy. Also, urine tests will be administered sometime this week. I will not tell you when, of course, but know that if you fail with so much as a positive for cannabis, you will be suspended from the team and you may even cost us our victory over Azgeda. So don't."

"Yes, Coach," they murmured in unison.

"Good. Now hit the showers and go the hell home."

A few of the boys chortled as they made their way back to the locker rooms. Lincoln gave Lexa fist bump before following after them, but Lexa turned to Clarke, smiling as she took off her helmet.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked.

"Rocky road?" Clarke reminded her. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"Is there ever a time where I'm not?" Lexa retorted, grinning. "I thought you'd come by later, anyway. After dinner or something."

"Well, one: I don't have your address," Clarke replied. "And two: I figured I could give you a ride home or we could grab something to eat first."

"A…a ride?" Lexa asked, her face going pale. "I don't think that's a very good idea, Clarke."

Clarke's shoulders slumped. "Is it because of…" she trailed off but Lexa knew what she meant.

She nodded. "Mostly," she said. "I mean, I wasn't _there_ , but they make me pretty nervous." She took a deep breath. "I'm gonna be a wreck when we start going to away games."

"Not if you practice," Clarke pointed out. "Come on, you can even wear your helmet if it makes you feel better. And I'll hold your hand."

"No offense, but I'd rather you had both hands on the wheel."

Clarke grinned. "So you'll do it?" she said.

Lexa breathed a deep sigh of frustration. "Yeah," she said. "I guess I will."

"It'll be fine," Clarke assured her, standing up with her bag hanging off one shoulder. "I'll go real slow for your first time." She wiggled her eyebrows, teasingly, gasping when Lexa leaned in closer.

"Promise?" the taller girl husked, her hot breath washing over Clarke's left cheek. Clarke's body froze for a second, eyes wide. Then Lexa leaned away and snorted. "You're a surprisingly easy target, Clarke Griffin," she said as she sauntered away, grinning at Clarke over her shoulder.

Clarke, in turn, frowned at her, but couldn't fight the ridiculous flutter in her chest.

 **I'm glad y'all are liking this!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The ride to Lexa's house was relatively painless. At least, from what Clarke could tell. The brunette did actually take her up on the offer to wear her helmet…and her shoulder pads. Clarke tried not to be insulted (she was an _excellent_ driver, after all) but every time she glanced over at Lexa, the girl had her eyes closed and a grimace on her face.

At a red light, Clarke reached out to place her hand on Lexa's knee and the teen practically jumped out the window. "Are you doing okay?" Clarke asked, softly, when Lexa finally opened her eyes and looked over at her. Clarke was only going ten miles an hour (which was about thirty miles below her usual speed) and Lexa still looked terrified.

"I'm f-fine," Lexa replied, gritting her teeth slightly. "J-just a l-little anxious." She took a deep breath. "I really don't like cars."

"I can see that," Clarke sighed. "How did you handle driving down from TonDC?"

"Not very well. I had to lay down in the back and pretend I was on a boat." She took another deep breath as Clarke started driving again. "It didn't work as well as I'd hoped, but Anya didn't want to stop or slow down. She said it would be like…ripping off a band aid."

"And it wasn't?" Clarke asked. Lexa shook her head. "Okay, so…how about we try something different, then?"

"Like what?" Lexa asked, gripping the door when Clarke accelerated to 15 so she could make a yellow light. She slowed the second they were in the clear.

"Well, at the speed we're going, we'll be at your house in about…ten minutes," Clarke estimated, grinning a little. "So that's enough time for two songs." At the next light, she reached for the radio, switching it on. "You wanna play DJ?"

"Just to distract me?" Lexa asked. Clarke nodded. "Fine. I don't think it'll work though." Keeping a firm grip on the door, Lexa reached out for the radio, her long fingers wrapping around the dial, searching through the static for something she liked. When she found it, a wide grin spread across her face and Clarke lifted one brow as Mel B's laugh echoed around her car.

"Spice Girls?" she laughed. "Really?"

Lexa's smile widened further. "Yo I'll…TELL YOU WHAT I WANT, WHAT I REALLY, REALLY WANT!" Clarke burst into hysterics as Lexa began singing at the top of her voice, bouncing around in her seat a little. It took her a couple seconds to realize that the light had turned green and had just gone back to yellow as she drove through, her eyes focused on the road as Lexa continued to sing.

After a few seconds, Clarke started to sing along with her, making sure that both of her hands gripped the wheel (if only to comfort Lexa who might, at any moment, start drowning in her anxiety again) as she accelerated little by little until she saw the sign for Lexa's street and made a right turn, slowing down so that she could see the house numbers through the drizzling rain.

"It's that one," Lexa said, pointing to a little blue house at the end of the block. There was a two-car garage situated next to the house and a dented red Camry parked in front. "Looks like Anya's home already."

"Your sister?" Clarke asked and Lexa nodded, smiling a little. Clarke watched as her grip once again tightened around the door handle when she pulled into the driveway. Then Lexa's body seemed to relax completely when she shut off the engine and she practically scrambled out of the car into the rain, breathing an exaggerated sigh of relief. "You are so dramatic," Clarke teased and Lexa stuck her tongue out at her, underneath the helmet, receiving an eye roll from the blonde as she shut the car door and followed her friend up to the front door.

Lexa removed her helmet as she stepped through the door, tossing it to the side. "I'm home!" she called out, moving to take off the shoulder pads as well.

"We're in the kitchen!" a voice called from deeper in the house and Clarke followed Lexa down a hall to a rather large kitchen with an island in the center and a full arsenal of hanging pots and pans and utensils. Adjacently, it opened up into a kind of dining room with a six-person table covered in papers as a young boy bent over them, writing hastily with a pencil. At the stove, stirring a large pot of something that smelled amazing, was a tall woman with long blonde hair. She turned as they entered and smirked at the sight of Clarke. "Hello," she greeted. "Who's this?" she asked Lexa.

"Anya," Lexa replied, giving her a quick warning look, "this is my friend, Clarke. Clarke, this is my sister, Anya, and that nerd right there is my baby brother, Aden."

"Takes one to know one!" the boy shot back, not turning his eyes from his paper.

Clarke snorted and turned back to Anya, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you," she said, stepping forward. Anya put down her spoon and wiped her hand on the dishtowel draped over her shoulder, before offering her hand to Clarke over the island.

"Likewise," she said, her eyes twinkling. "So," she continued, giving them both a knowing look, her eyes focused mainly on Lexa, "you finally made a new…friend, huh?"

Confused, Clarke turned to see Lexa cross her arms over her chest, glaring at her older sister. "I have friends. Indra's my friend."

"I'm starting to believe you made her up," Anya said, turning back to stir the pot. "You've never invited _her_ over for dinner." Lexa flushed at that.

"Indra's really busy," she murmured. "And her parents are strict. I told you that." She glanced at Clarke, nervously.

"It's true," Clarke said, sensing her discomfort. "Indra was never allowed to come to any of my birthday parties because her parents were against processed sugar. But, boy, give that girl any kind of candy…" she shook her head and Lexa snickered. Anya grinned at them over her shoulder.

"Well, I look forward to meeting her at next week's game. She's a cheerleader, isn't she?"

Clarke nodded. "So am I, actually," she said. "Indra and I are both bases."

"Bottoms?" Anya asked, giving them a Cheshire grin. "I thought most cheerleaders were tops."

"You mean flyers?" Clarke asked. She knew what Anya meant, but Lexa was close to having a full-fledged aneurysm next to her. She'd always wondered what it would be like to have an older sister. Now she was glad to be an only child, if only because she was able to escape the embarrassment. "Not all of us."

"Hmm," Anya said. "The more you know. Anyway, dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Aden, start putting your homework away and set the table."

"Why can't Lexa do it?" Aden asked, finally looking up at them with a pout.

"Because Lexa is going to wash the dishes," she replied. "Now come on. Get to it."

Aden sighed and pushed away from the table, piling all his papers together and setting them to the side, neatly. Clarke turned to Lexa, who was giving him a soft smile, reminding Clarke why it might be nice to have a younger sibling.

"Lex," Anya said, "go bring your dirty football shit up to your room, okay? I don't want it laying around like that. You're going to need it next weekend."

"Whatever," Lexa sighed, picking her pads up from the floor and making her way back down the hall.

Clarke followed her. "Nice meeting you," she called over her shoulder. In the living room, she scooped up Lexa's helmet before she could reach for it and then followed her up the steps to the second floor.

Lexa's bedroom was the second room on the left, down a short hallway. The door was cracked slightly and the doorknob was smudged glass. She turned it roughly and shoved the door open, revealing what looked to be a rather average room. There was a full-sized bed, a desk, two end tables, and a dresser lined with photographs and candles of all shapes and sizes. The floor was littered with cardboard boxes that had yet to be emptied, by the looks of it, but Clarke's eyes were drawn to the frame on the desk and she found herself gravitating towards it, the faces becoming clearer as got closer.

In the picture was a couple; a man and a woman. The man had a dark beard and brown eyes. His hair was shaved at the side and gelled back at the top, but Clarke could see a braid peeking out beside his right ear. He was rather large in stature, which was a stark contrast to the woman beside him, who was tiny and blonde, her hair cut into a pixie. She looked like a smiling Tinkerbell, her cheeks rosy and her lips as red as rose petals. She was wearing a white veil and he was wearing a black suit; it was their wedding day.

"They're my parents," Lexa explained, coming up next to Clarke. The blonde turned to see Lexa studying the picture with a soft smile on her face. "My mom gave that to Anya when we first came to live with them, so that she would never doubt how much they wanted us and loved us. But Anya used to catch me sneaking in her room to look at it, so she just…gave it to me."

"'Came to live with them'?" Clarke asked, confusion lacing her voice.

Lexa lifted one eyebrow. "You must have noticed that none of us looks alike, right?"

Clarke's eyes widened and she only had to think a second about it, before she nodded. None of the siblings looked like one another, nor did they look like either of their parents. Except Lexa; she could be her father's daughter…sort of.

Lexa smirked, turning back and walking toward her dresser. She plucked a frame from the top and brought it back to Clarke, placing it in her hands. The picture was of a young girl, sitting in a beanbag chair with a book in her hands and a toddler in her lap. Her mouth was open and Clarke could see she was missing a few teeth. Her hair was messy and blonde, some of it falling over her forehead, but Clarke could tell it was Anya. The girl in her lap must have been Lexa then, fast asleep against her sister's chest, thumb in her mouth. One of Anya's arms was wrapped tightly around her.

"That was the first day they came to our group home," Lexa informed her. "I was three and Anya was ten. She'd chosen me to be her baby sister and was really protective of me. It was a sort of adoption day, but Anya didn't really care too much about being chosen by a family. At ten, you're usually too old to get adopted, anyway, you know?" Clarke frowned at that, but nodded. "Anyway, our dad was the first one to see us and pointed it out to my mom, who was a photographer. She always said that they decided right then and there that they were going to leave with both of us in their family." Lexa smiled and Clarke could see a tear in her eye. She lowered one hand to hold hers and squeezed. Lexa gave her a smile and squeezed back.

"The year after that, we got Aden, who was only about a month old at the time and it was my turn to be the big sister." She tugged Clarke back to the dresser and held up another picture. This one was of a chubby four-year-old girl with a sizeable gap in her front teeth, sitting in a wide chair and holding a little bundled up baby with a tuft of strawberry blonde hair. Her smile lit up the room.

"Aw, you were so cute," Clarke gushed, reaching up to pinch Lexa's cheek. Lexa swatted her hand away, laughing, then put both photos back down.

"Shut up," she murmured, blushing slightly. Clarke laughed and squeezed her hand again, before backing away to look around the room a little more. In the corner, on the floor, was a stereo and she immediately switched it on, curious as to what other kinds of music Lexa was into. What flooded the room next made her laugh out loud.

"Billy Joel fan?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at a blushing Lexa. Wow, she blushed a lot.

"Are you saying that you don't like Billy Joel?" Lexa asked, raising one brow. "Because I think that may be a deal breaker."

"No, I love him!" Clarke assured her, turning up the music and then jumping to her feet. " _He said 'SON CAN YOU PLAY ME A MEMORY, I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW IT GOES',"_ she sang, dancing toward Lexa until she could pull the laughing girl into her embrace, spinning her around. Lexa quickly fell into step with her, grasping both of Clarke's hands in her own as they continued to do a mock waltz around the room, laughing as they continued to sing at the top of their lungs.

Clarke couldn't remember ever having this much fun in her life. Not even with—

The sudden, intrusive thought had her pausing in her steps for a second too long and then she was tripping and falling back onto the bed, tugging Lexa right over her with a grunt. The music had already started to fade by the time the brunette got her bearings and was able to push herself up with her hands on either side of Clarke's, their legs tangled off the side. Their noses were practically brushing for a moment longer than necessary before Lexa realized what was happening and scrambled to get off, losing her balance before Clarke pulled her back by her shoulders. In hindsight, she might have pulled a little too hard because the next thing either of them knew, the skin of their foreheads was slapping together and there was an audible _clunk_ as their skulls knocked against one another.

"Ouch," Lexa groaned, finally untangling herself from Clarke and rolling over onto the bed beside her. Clarke echoed the sentiment and pressed her hand to her forehead. After a moment, they each turned their heads and shared a look, before they burst into hysterics, laughing and snorting unattractively, their eyes and lungs burning by the time their mirth died down to a couple of scattered giggles. They shared another look, green and blue melding between them, and Clarke could swear that Lexa was getting closer…

But then there was a knock on the door and Clarke bolted to her feet, catching herself as the door opened and Aden peeked in. She prayed she didn't look as out of sorts as she felt and the bored look the twelve-year-old gave her told her that her prayers were answered. He turned his gaze to Lexa, who was now sitting up, leaning back on her hands, casually.

"Dinner's ready," he told them. "Anya made lamb stew."

Lexa groaned, rolling her eyes. "Again?" she huffed.

"What did you expect?" the boy asked. "She only knows how to make, like, three things. Unless you want burnt toast or eggs again, I suggest you eat the stew." He turned to Clarke. "It's actually really good, I promise."

She smiled at him. "Sounds great," she said. He returned the smile and slipped back out, leaving them alone again.

Lexa let out a groan and fell back to the bed. "I'd rather eat a leather shoe," she said, throwing her hand over her face so that the words were muffled.

Clarke laughed and rolled her eyes. "Why are you so dramatic?" she snorted, tugging on Lexa's arm in an attempt to get her to stand. It was harder than she thought. "Lexa, come on. You eat a little stew and then we can have ice cream." Lexa breathed a deep sigh and finally allowed herself to rise.

"Fine," she said. "But I'm only doing this for the rocky road."

"Is Anya's stew really that bad?" Clarke laughed, tugging her toward the door.

"No, but we're had it nearly every night since we moved here. Our father was a chef and yet he couldn't teach her to make literally _anything else_. Hence, my appetite for leather."

Clarke snorted and shook her head, opening the door and pulling Lexa out after her, their fingers involuntarily tangling between them (not that either of them minded much, anyway).

 **I'm not sure if I want it to be a slow burn. The pace might pick up a little later, but how do you all like it so far? I'm going to try to update at least once a week, but I also have a lot of Castle fanfiction to update so don't hold me to that. Please REVIEW and tell me what you think!**

 **ALSO WATCH FEAR THE WALKING DEAD IF YOU HAVE AMC AND SUPPORT ADC!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Dinner was pleasant, albeit strange. Clarke kept expecting their parents to show up, apologizing for being late for dinner—much like her mom had every time she'd stayed late at the hospital and left Clarke in the care of their neighbors—but it was just the four of them.

Anya sat at the head of the table and Aden sat to her right; Lexa to her left. Clarke sat next to Lexa and sometimes knocked her foot with the other girls under the table, though there was plenty of space for them to avoid it. Neither of them really cared about making an effort. Besides, Clarke wasn't paying that much attention as she practically inhaled Anya's stew. Aden was right, this was delicious. She wondered how the other two could practically pick at it with distaste.

"So," Anya asked, after a few moments of comfortable silence, "how's school going, guys? The kids treating you right? Other than Clarke and Indra, I mean?" She smirked when Lexa closed the mouth she'd immediately opened to respond.

The brunette shrugged. "It's fine," she said. "Nobody really bothers me that much."

"That much?" Both Anya and Clarke echoed this, both looking at Lexa with concern. She refused to look back at either of them and took another spoonful of stew into her mouth, instead. Clarke knocked her foot under the table; purposefully, this time.

Lexa glanced sideways at her and sighed. "I'm fine," she said. "It's just a few of the guys on my team." She didn't elaborate.

"Who?" Clarke prompted. "Is it Murphy? Because he's kind of a dick. You shouldn't take anything he says too seriously, you know. He just likes getting a rise out of people. He thinks it's—"

"It's not only him," Lexa murmured and then Anya's hand was on her wrist and Clarke could see the barely restrained anger in her eyes.

"Who else, Lex?" she asked, her voice solid as steel, leaving no room for argument.

Lexa took a deep breath and shook her head. "An, it's not a big deal—"

" _Alexandria_ ," Anya said, her voice stern and somehow scarier than before. " _Who_?"

Lexa rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "Bellamy Blake," she sighed. Clarke's fists clenched. Blake wasn't typically a jerk, but she knew how he could be when he didn't like something or someone and he wasn't really used to not getting his own way. His parents were pretty wealthy and he'd been playing sports his entire life. His sister, Octavia, was one of Clarke's good friends and she often had to hear about how Bellamy was way too overprotective, as if she were some ceramic tea cup that might chip at the slightest breeze. It was the main reason she hadn't made it onto the football team.

"Ignore him," Clarke suggested. "Or punch him out. That's what Octavia does."

"That's his sister, right?" Lexa asked, grinning. "Lincoln talks about her a lot."

"I bet," Clarke snorted. "They're like freaking Romeo and Juliet, except the only thing standing between them is her brother."

"An easy enough barrier to take down," Lexa joked.

"Not where Octavia's concerned," Clarke said, sadly. Octavia and Lincoln had been forced to keep their relationship under wraps. As it was, only she, Raven, Monty, and Jasper knew about it. Nobody on the football team, nor the cheerleading squad knew, lest it get back to Bellamy and he try to keep them apart."

"That doesn't sound very healthy," Aden commented, taking another chunk of lamb into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully. "Somebody should tell that Baloney dude that he can't just control people any way he wants to."

"Lincoln tried," Clarke sighed. "Got a black eye, but not from Bellamy's hand."

"That's horrible," Anya said. "I bet I could take that kid down a few notches." She sipped from her bowl. "I'm a black belt, you know."

"A black belt and a football player in one family." Clarke whistled, impressed. She looked at Aden. "You on the wrestling team?"

Aden rolled his eyes and Anya laughed, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "Nah, our baby boy's more of a Brainiac than a fighter. We taught him a couple things, though; he can defend himself pretty well."

"That's good," Clarke said, nodding. "What got you interested in all this fighting stuff anyway?"

Anya and Lexa shared a look, then turned to Clarke. "Dad," they said in unison.

"He taught me how to throw my first punch," Anya informed her. "Because I was getting bullied in school. Some little jerk kept pulling my hair and kicking sand at me on the playground. I showed him."

"Anya was the first student ever suspended at our elementary school," Lexa said with a smirk.

"At least I wasn't _expelled from kindergarten_." Lexa flushed bright red, hunching her shoulders.

Clarke's eyes widened. "Okay, now I _have_ to hear this one."

"There's not much to tell," Anya said. "Except our parents were super excited about having a boy and our dad went a little crazy with all the sports equipment before Aden could even lift his head, which meant that we had a bunch of random baseballs and footballs lying around. So, of course, he makes good use of them by teaching us how to play each and every game and while I quickly grew pretty bored of them, little Lexa was pretty fascinated by one game in particular."

"Football," Clarke said, with a smirk.

Anya shook her head. "Soccer, actually. So…well, almost. Anyway, Dad taught her how to run with the ball, how to pass and make a goal and all that good stuff. We quickly learned just how passionate our sweet little girl could get." She reached over and pinched Lexa's cheek, only to have her hand swatted away. "Especially when they started playing it at her school, during recess."

"Oh no," Clarke laughed, looking at Lexa, who had her face in her hands. Clarke reached her foot over to wrap around Lexa's angle and tugged a little, coaxing an embarrassed smile from the girl.

"Oh yes," Anya continued. "Lexa went _ape_ during a peewee soccer game at her school. She charged down that field and kicked the ball so hard that the goalie was knocked out."

"Oh my god!" Clarke snorted, then immediately covered her mouth, unable to stifle her laughter.

"Yeah," Anya laughed. "And that wasn't even what got her kicked out."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. They let her off with a warning and tried to get her to calm down a little on the field, but the longer she played, the more passionate she became and then she just…let loose."

"What happened?" Clarke asked.

"Let's just say, she didn't get a third strike," Anya replied with a snort, finishing the last of her stew. She stood and grabbed Aden's bowl, as well.

"Hey!" he argued.

"You haven't taken a bite in ten minutes," Anya pointed out. "You're full."

He didn't argue; just stood from the table and grabbed their silverware, walking with her to the sink. Clarke and Lexa remained seated, the former trying—and failing, horribly—to stop chortling. Lexa glared at her, but Clarke couldn't help it. That was _hilarious_!

"I can't believe you got expelled from _kindergarten_ ," Clarke giggled, pressing her face to Lexa's shoulder, her body shaking with mirth.

Lexa sighed. "I wasn't expelled," she said. "They just…suggested that my parents enroll me elsewhere."

"Where could you possibly go after that?" Clarke wondered aloud.

"They homeschooled me until second grade," Lexa sighed, pouting slightly. "By then, I was a little…calmer. But I still had a thing for sports, so they enrolled me in a girls' football team, where being a little rough with the other players wasn't quite as frowned upon."

"Looks like it worked," Clarke said, pulling away. "You're definitely way calmer."

Lexa smirked. "I meditate," she said. "My mom wanted me to take ballet, but I've never been one for tights."

"Too bad," Clarke commented as she stood. "You'd probably look good in a tutu."

"Shut up," Lexa laughed, following after her. They deposited their bowls in the sink and then Lexa turned to the freezer, already pulling out the rocky road ice cream.

"Uh," Clarke said, "shouldn't we digest a little before…"

"You can," Lexa said. "I've been waiting for this all day…and I'm still feeling that hollow spot in my stomach where that cookie should be."

"Hey, you offered!" Clarke laughed. Lexa snickered as she reached for a couple of bowls and spoons, handing them to Clarke as she opened the pint and started scooping the ice cream. Each bowl got three scoops and she let Clarke pick which one she wanted as she put the ice cream back into the freezer. She also reached into the fridge for a can of whipped cream and chocolate sauce, offering them both to Clarke once she doused her rocky road in both.

Clarke shook her head. "I'm already going to have to work this off tomorrow as it is," she said.

"Suit yourself," Lexa said, spraying the whipped cream into her mouth.

"You are amazing," Clarke murmured as she took a bite of the ice cream.

Lexa looked down at her with a mouthful of foam. "Why?" she said, some of the cream dribbling down her chin. Clarke handed her a napkin.

"Because you never act this silly at school," the blonde said as she watch Lexa carefully wipe away the remnants of whipped cream. "You're always so serious."

"Yeah, well I kind of take my studies seriously, Clarke," Lexa replied. "You know I have to keep my GPA above a 3.0 to stay on the team, right?"

"Same here," Clarke pointed out. "Mine has remained at, like, 3.8 since sixth grade, by the way."

"Mine is 3.9," Lexa said, with a challenging lift of her brows.

Clarke pressed her lips together. "It's not a competition." Lexa snorted. " _Anyway_ , keeping your grades up is not an excuse to be so serious. You could laugh a little when we're at school."

"I laughed today," Lexa pointed out. "With you."

"Do you laugh with Indra, too?" Clarke asked.

"Sometimes…"

"About what?"

"…stuff."

"Lexa," Clarke sighed.

"Why do I have to laugh all the time?"

"Not _all_ the time," Clarke said. "Just…sometimes. You have a really great laugh."

Lexa's cheeks turned pink. "I do?" she asked, green eyes wide.

Clarke nodded. "It's, like, sixty percent smile and when it's hard enough, you kind of…snort."

Lexa's foot nudged her underneath the island. "I do _not_!"

Clarke laughed and nodded. "You do so!" she said. "But that's okay; I do, too, sometimes."

" _All_ the time."

"Oh, shut up," Clarke giggled, knocking their feet together again. Both girls laughed, sharing a look. As their laughter died down, though, their eyes stay locked, their smiles wide and joyous. Clarke felt something flutter in her chest; something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Something that terrified her, yet she couldn't look away from Lexa, who was no doubt the cause of this…fluttering.

And then Lexa was leaning towards her, swallowing thickly, and Clarke felt her breathing stop in her lungs, her mouth going dry, preventing her from voicing any kind of protest as Lexa's lips landed on hers and she felt everything inside her suddenly melt and release. The moan she emitted sounded like pure relief and she gave herself to the count of three to pull away, allowing herself to bask in the way her skin shivered and her hair stood on end, her lips burned where they brushed Lexa's skin.

When the tips of their noses bumped, Clarke suddenly pulled away with a sharp inhale. "I'm sorry," she said, rising from her stool so quickly that she almost lost her balance. "I…I have to go."

She could hear Lexa call after her, but Clarke kept going, walking briskly down the hall to the front door and then out onto her car. She didn't even let herself take a breath until she turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb. Her lips continued to tingle all the way home.

 **REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Stop it."

Clarke jumped at the sudden intrusion into her subconscious. She blinked as she turned her head toward Raven, who was busy measuring some kind of liquid in a beaker. Clarke took a step away from her (Raven and chemicals were never a good match) and placed a pair of safety goggles over her eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"That moony look you're giving Woods," Raven said, not taking her eyes from the beaker in front of her. "You need to stop that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Clarke deflected, picking up another beaker and gazing into the yellowish fluid. She placed it back down on its stand.

"Oh, really?" Raven snorted. "Because, according to Octavia, things have been a little…weird between you two at practice."

"And how would Octavia know that?" She avoided football practice like the plague, still angry that Lexa had gotten on the team and she hadn't, and wary of her brother finding out about her and Lincoln.

"Her boy toy told her," Raven said. "How else?"

"Well, Lincoln lied," Clarke said. "Things are just fine between Lexa and me." That was a bold-faced lie if she'd ever told one.

"Oh really?" Raven asked with a smirk. "Then why have you spent the last fifteen minutes staring at her back?"

"I have not!" Clarke growled, elbowing Raven in the side. Her friend laughed and shook her head.

"You totally have!" she said. "You look at her like a sad puppy dog that's just been hit with a newspaper. Did you two get into a fight or something? Because you were only friends for like, what, a day?"

"Two days," Clarke corrected. "And…not exactly."

"Then what happened?" Raven nudged. Clarke pressed her lips together and Raven suddenly got serious. "Seriously, Clarke," she said; "what is it? Did she do something to hurt you? Say something? Do I need to kick her ass?"

That made Clarke smile and laugh. "As nice a sentiment as that is, Ray," she said, "I don't think it'll be necessary. Lexa didn't…she didn't _say_ anything."

"So she did something."

"Not…exactly."

" _Clarke_."

"We kissed," Clarke blurted, burying her head in her hands as soon as the words were out of her mouth, feeling her face heat up at Raven's stunned silence. After a moment, she peeked up at her, to find Raven grinning.

"Really?" she asked. "That's all? You just… _kissed_?"

"Yes," Clarke growled. "We kissed, I freaked, and I ran."

Raven took a deep breath through her nose. "Of course you did," she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," Raven hissed, giving her a disapproving look. "It's been a _year_ , Clarke," she said. "Don't you think it's time you moved on? _I_ have."

"It's not that simple." Clarke shook her head, looking down at her hands on the counter. "I still…"

"You still love him?" Raven asked, incredulously.

"No," Clarke insisted, then sighed. "Yes?" She rolled her eyes. "I don't know if I still love him, but I think I still…care about him."

"Why? I don't."

"Yes, you do," Clarke huffed. "You're just…stronger than I am, I guess."

"Got that right."

"Gee, thanks, friend."

Raven chuckled and picked up the yellow beaker. "Look, it's fine if you're not ready to be in a relationship yet. Especially after…what happened. But it's not okay to just dump Lexa—both as a friend and as a potential girlfriend—without any kind of explanation. Doesn't she at least deserve that?"

Clarke took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "She does. But, what if…what will she think of me?"

"That you're human," Raven said. "That you make mistakes and get screwed over by stupid, selfish boys that don't deserve you." Raven reached for Clarke's hand and squeezed. "And that you're honest and deserve to be forgiven for those mistakes. Hell knows how hard it is to forgive."

"Even when you have every reason not to." The girls shared a soft smile and Clarke squeezed Raven's hand, then grabbed the yellow beaker. "Move aside, firecracker," she said. "Let me do this."

"Clarke," Raven argued.

"Nope. Every time you play with these—"

"Clarke, I really—"

"—you make an—"

Clarke tipped the yellow liquid into the bigger beaker and there was immediately a crackling sound that turned into a tiny explosion, which emitted a green puff of smoke right into their faces. Clarke and Raven coughed and fanned it away (not for the first time) as their teacher looked on, unamused.

"It wasn't me this time, Dr. Pike," Raven said. He just rolled his eyes and pointed towards the chemical shower. Clarke and Raven groaned as they made their way over, Raven hobbling a little with her cane and leg brace. Clarke helped her take it off and then they undressed behind a think blue curtain and pulled the lever for the shower.

As Clarke turned away from Raven, she thought she spotted a pair of pale green eyes looking her way through the crack, only to be replaced by a curtain of long, dark hair.

O_O_O

At lunch that day, Clarke sat with Octavia and Raven, who were bickering about something or other when she placed her tray down across from them. Both girls looked up at her in surprise.

"Well," Octavia said, "aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

Clarke ignored her, sitting down. "How's Lincoln?" she asked, instead.

"How's Lexa?" Octavia shot back. Simultaneously, they looked out the plate-glass window, towards the lawn, where Lexa, Lincoln, and Indra were all sitting together, all facing TonDC. Clarke couldn't tell whether or not they were talking or (if they were) if they were talking about her. She doubted it, cursing herself for having such a big ego.

"You should really talk to her," Octavia said, sternly—like a mother. "Lincoln said she seemed kind of down lately."

"How could he tell?" Raven asked. "The girl always seems kind of 'down'." Her fingers curled around the word.

"She's just quiet," Clarke said, turning back to look at her tray. She'd opted to buy lunch that day and—no big surprise—the soggy tuna salad on rye didn't look very appetizing. She'd much rather have gotten the burger and fries, but all the girls on the squad were on diets, the threat of Homecoming just around the corner. "She can be pretty loud when she wants to be. And fun." Clarke smiled softly at the memory of Lexa bouncing around in the passenger seat of her car.

"Then _talk_ to her!" Octavia and Raven said in unison.

"Tell her you're sorry," Raven said.

"Explain what happened," Octavia added, nodding in agreement.

"Just do…something!" Raven growled. "You two had something really great going."

"At least, according to Lincoln." Octavia spared another longing glance at her boyfriend. They didn't get to spend much time together at school, Clarke knew, because Bellamy would have a fit, but they were together as much as possible outside. "I mean, she doesn't really talk about it, but Lexa's been majorly distracted during football practice."

Clarke looked up at that. "She has?" she asked.

"You haven't noticed?" Raven laughed. "You're, like, always there, aren't you? Hopping around with your bop squad?"

Clarke glared at her. "Don't call us—"

"Doesn't matter," Octavia interrupted. "Point is, you need to talk to her. It seems like the girl's pretty hung up on you. And not even in like a purely romantic sense, either. According to Lincoln, she thinks that you're avoiding her because you feel 'violated' or something."

"Why would she think that?" Clarke asked.

"Maybe because you're avoiding the girl like the black plague," Raven suggested.

Clarke opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it when she realized that Raven was absolutely correct. She _had_ been treating Lexa like an infection and it was wholly unfair, especially since Lexa had no idea _why_. She took another look outside at the girl who'd quickly become somebody she considered a good friend (even if it had only lasted a few hours) and stood.

"I'll be right back."

Raven and Octavia clapped for her and Clarke rolled her eyes as she made her way outside to the lawn, tucking her hands into her sleeves self-consciously as she bypassed the table with the football players and her fellow cheerleaders—a few of whom looked on at her with curiosity. Clarke ignored them as her feet carried her forward to where Lexa sat with Indra and Lincoln, wedged between them as they munched their respective sandwiches.

Lincoln was the first to look up, a smirk gracing his lips at the sight of her. He nudged Lexa, who was in the middle of a bite and Clarke could swear she heard the girl choke a little before looking up at him, a piece of lettuce sticking out the corner of her mouth. Lincoln tilted his head towards her and Lexa looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of Clarke.

"Hey," she greeted, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Clarke gave her a shy smile. "Hey," she said. "Can we, uh…can I talk to you for a moment?"

Lexa swallowed thickly, but nodded, pushing herself to her feet. She motioned for Clarke to lead the way and the blonde could feet at least two sets of eyes on her as she led Lexa back inside and across the hall to the girls' room. Thankfully, it was empty. She turned to Lexa.

"I'm sorry."

The words echoed throughout the small, tiled room, and both girls blushed as soon as they left their lips; they had spoken simultaneously. Clarke let out a nervous chuckle and ran her hand through her hair. "You have nothing to be sorry for," she assured Lexa. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"For what?" Lexa asked. "I'm the one that kissed you. And I shouldn't have. I should have known that you're straight and you only like me as a friend and, god, Clarke, I'm so—"

"Lexa!" Clarke interrupted. "It's okay. You didn't...you didn't do anything wrong. I kissed you back, remember?"

"But then you ran," Lexa pointed out. "I obviously overstepped."

"No," Clarke shook her head. "No, you were…" She took a deep breath. "We both fucked up. I should never have run away like that."

"Why did you?" Lexa asked, tilting her head to the side as she furrowed her brow. "You just said you kissed me back, but then…why did you run?"

Clarke took a breath, feeling her pulse begin to throb in her neck as her throat went dry. It was something she didn't really like to talk about; something she hated to relive almost as much as she hated living it the first time around.

"There was a boy," she said, swallowing past the building lump in her throat. "His name was Finn. He, uh, he transferred to Arcadia a little over a year ago and he, uh, he got a spot on the football team. He and Bellamy were, like, the best of friends, you know?" Lexa nodded, listening patiently. "Anyway, he was a senior when he transferred and he almost immediately took an interest in me and I thought, 'wow,' you know. 'A senior boy _likes_ me?' And so, when he asked me out, I said yes, like you do when a senior boy asks you out." She cleared her throat when Lexa raised her brow in amusement. "If you're into boys, anyway." She chuckled. "I said yes and we started dating and it was like…one of those cheesy romance novels. I fell in love way too quickly and trusted him way too easily. I believed it when he told me that he was single and that he loved me back, you know?" She took a deep breath and looked away, biting her lip as she tried to force back the ache in her chest. "But he didn't. Or, at least, he didn't love _just_ me." She swallowed again. "I found out, after just a couple weeks, that he had a girlfriend back at his old school. A girlfriend who showed up at Homecoming, as a surprise, and informed him that she would be transferring to Arcadia, as well." Clarke sniffled and wiped a stray tear. "I was crushed, of course, and pissed. He told me that they had broken up before he left, but Raven said differently."

"Raven?" Lexa gasped, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah," Clarke chuckled humorlessly. "Raven. Whose leg was already messed up from a bad accident, was already walking with a cane but being a badass nonetheless." She laughed again. "The second she found out, she socked Finn in the eye and slapped me."

"But you had no idea," Lexa argued.

"I know," Clarke sighed. "I think she was just letting off some steam, you know? She apologized the next day and we spent the rest of the year getting to know each other and making sure everybody knew what an asshole Finn was. He didn't even get a prom date." Clarke grinned, proudly, then sighed. "But it just…it wasn't okay. _I_ wasn't okay. I tried to move on from him—I told myself that I'd barely been with him for a couple weeks and he was an asshole, anyway—but I just felt…broken. I still kind of do."

"Was he your first…love?" Lexa asked, unsure how to phrase it.

"Well," Clarke sighed. "Technically, Niylah from preschool was my first love. I made her a valentine with extra sparkles and we held hands on the playground for three weeks straight. But then she moved away and I haven't seen her since." Lexa smiled softly at that and Clarke chuckled. "But, yeah, I think Finn might have been my first real love. Even if it wasn't real for him."

"Is that why you ran?" Lexa asked. "The other day?"

Clarke nodded. "I tried, a couple of months ago, to move on from him. It didn't work. Every time I kissed him, I…I only saw Finn. So I stopped trying. I decided that I was better alone…for now, at least. I mean, I'm only sixteen, after all; I have time to find that actual true love, if it does exist."

"But not yet," Lexa sighed. Clarke looked up at her, noticing the dejected look on her face, the slight blush coloring her cheeks. She stepped forward and reached for Lexa's hand, squeezing her fingers.

"Yes," she said. "Not yet. But…soon, maybe?" She waited until Lexa's eyes met hers and they shared a long, understanding gaze before she continued. "Until then, we're friends."

"Friends don't run from each other," Lexa pointed out.

Clarke nodded in agreement. "No more running," she promised.

"And no more secrets," Lexa added.

"No more secrets," Clarke agreed, squeezing Lexa's hand. The two smiled at one another and then Clarke tugged Lexa against her, wrapping her arms around the other girl's waist, hugging her tightly. Lexa stiffened for a moment, then seemed to melt into her embrace, wrapping her arms around Clarke's shoulders.

When they pulled back, Clarke felt her heartbeat quicken to find that hers and Lexa's noses were only inches apart, her eyes flitting down to her Laxa's lips before rising to meet her gaze again. Lexa's foam green eyes were already on hers, gazing intently. Clarke forced a calm smile and took a deep breath as she stepped back.

 _Just friends_ , she reminded herself, leading Lexa out, wordlessly. _For now_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Where'd you get that one?" Indra asked Raven as they sat on the ground at lunch the next day. Raven's arms were almost covered in scars and tattoos—reminders of a life full of accidents and rebellion. The burn scar Indra was pointing to was about an inch above Raven's left wrist and shaped like a star.

"I was twelve and my Uncle Sinclair had just bought me a new robotics set. I was playing around with a few wires on the toy car that I built, trying to give it a little A.I. or something so it could drive itself and I accidentally electrocuted myself."

"Accidentally _electrocuted_ yourself?" Lincoln snorted, stealing one of Octavia's fries. She slapped his hand, but gave him a flirty grin. It immediately fell off her face when Bellamy looked over at them from a nearby picnic table.

"It's was only a small shock. I didn't even pass out. Besides, I got this awesome burn tattoo. I never accomplished my A.I. goal, but you better believe I bragged to all my nerdy robotics bros."

Indra laughed and Clarke snorted. She'd heard that story before—too many times, probably—but it still made her laugh. She pictured nerdy little Raven Reyes, with braces and glasses and pimples galore, showing off the many burns and scars she'd gotten from fixing the appliances all around the tiny apartment she shared with her mother. Little Raven sitting on her uncle's shoulders as he toted her around the robotics museum in nearby Polis, her eyes wide open as she learned how things were made and her tongue poking out when she went home and designed even more machines, using forests full of papers, her walls littered with pictures. Little Raven who lost 25% of the use of her leg in a freak fall, but never felt sorry for herself. Raven Reyes, now, who had kicked the shit out of her ex and become one of Clarke's dearest friends, despite how their acquaintance began.

Clarke sometimes wished she could be as strong as Raven Reyes.

"How have you survived this long?" Lexa asked, from her spot next to Clarke. They were sitting in a circle and Clarke and Lexa were directly across from one another, though every time they locked eyes, Clarke could swear they were no more than two inches apart. It made her face flush and her chest stutter.

"Pure dumb luck," Octavia answered before Raven could utter so much as a syllable.

"And great survival instincts," Raven added, glaring at her best friend. Octavia stuck her tongue out and Raven flipped her off, looking back to Lexa. "Wait until I tell you about the time I was attacked by an ostrich at the zoo and narrowly escaped with my life."

"He was in an enclosure, Raven," Clarke laughed. "You weren't in any danger."

"I have scars."

"He didn't even _touch_ you!"

"Mental scars."

Lexa let out a laugh that was half snort and she immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. Clarke grinned at her and flared her nostrils, teasingly. Lexa glared at her, but it was half-hearted.

"Okay, I _have_ to hear this one," Lincoln laughed, leaning towards Raven.

"Okay," Raven said, readjusting her position so that her bad leg was stretched out in front of her. "So, I—"

Before she could get another word in, there was a horn blaring over her voice and all of them jumped as they turned towards the sound, eyes wide at the sight of the marching band stepping onto the lawn, all dolled up in their uniforms as they played their instruments. All the students eating on the lawn and at the picnic tables turned to look at them; Bellamy and Harper, especially. Harper's eyes widened at the sight of them coming straight at her and Bellamy was grinning right next to her, his arm slung around her hip.

Clarke watched as the marching band stopped right in front of them and continued to play what she soon realized was Taylor Swift's "How You Get the Girl" and she snorted as Bellamy stood and turned to face Harper, who must have realized it, too. At his signal, they immediately stopped playing and he reached out his hand to her. Harper took it and was pulled to her feet, her mouth still gaping open.

"Harper Eleanor Smith*," Bellamy said, loud enough for everybody around them to hear, "will you go to Homecoming with me?"

Harper seemed to be speechless (Clarke wondered why; it was no big surprise that her boyfriend would ask her to Homecoming. The fact that he even had to ask was a bigger surprise, actually) but she nodded furiously, giggling as Bellamy wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as he spun her around and she let out a pealing laughter that echoed across the lawn. People applauded and Harper's friends took pictures and cooed over them. Even Clarke had to admit that it was a cute sight, her own hands coming together a few times for the captain of her squad.

When she turned back to her small circle, Lincoln was eyeing an oblivious Octavia, who was chatting idly with Raven, whom had oddly caught the attention of Indra, whose cheeks flushed slightly when she met Clarke's gaze. Clarke gave her a small smile, then turned to Lexa, who she was startled to find was staring straight at her, unblinkingly.

Clarke felt her face heat up and quickly looked down at the sandwich at her knee, picking it up to take a large bite of turkey and Swiss on rye, trying desperately to ignore the flutter in her chest and the hope that was starting to build up right alongside it.

 _Just friends, just friends, just friends,_ her mind supplied in a mantra, keeping in time with the rapid beating of her heart.

 _Just. Friends._

O_O_O_O_O

Clarke tried her best not to avoid Lexa for the rest of that day. Especially not after she'd promised things could go back to normal. As much as Lexa made her heart pound and her palms sweat and that tiny smile appear on Clarke's lips every time she saw her, Clarke was certain that she was not yet ready to risk having her heart broken for the second time in as many years—as ridiculous as she knew that was.

Lexa and Finn were exact opposites. For one thing, Lexa was incredibly honest, from what Clarke had seen. As aloof as she could be sometimes, Clarke knew that any question she asked the girl would be answered as factually as possible and that fact alone made Clarke grin a little bit. Sometimes, Lexa was just a little too literal, but she could crack a joke that left stitches in her side and her sarcasm was spot on when she wanted it to be. And despite how cool Lexa had come off when she first arrived at Arcadia, her hugs were some of the best Clarke had received, and she was always so sweet— _especially to you_ , her asshole brain reminded her and Clarke shook her head.

Lexa was no more affectionate toward her than she was toward Indra or Lincoln. Even thinking it, though, Clarke knew she would never truly believe that.

At cheerleading practice, Clarke tried to cheer for all of the players in equal measure as they ran through plays, but she still found herself calling out Lexa's name as she tackled Murphy or Lincoln or even Bellamy to the ground, laughing a little as Lexa jumped to her feet and raised her fists in triumph. She could see the smile through the mouth guard and felt oddly proud of her gi—friend. Her _friend_. _Just friends_.

Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, Clarke continued to do cheers and bounce around and do her thing; spelling out "Grounders" and clapping her hands to the beat as the girls came up for cheers for each player individually. Her favorite—obviously—was for Lexa.

"L! E! X! A! Lexa, Lexa, she's so great!" It was stupid and simple, but it was catchier than Lincoln's and not nearly as typical as "Blake! Blake! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!"

When practice was over, the new members of the squad received their special Home uniforms for the upcoming game and Clarke, who'd already received hers in freshman year and still hadn't grown out of it, sat on the bleachers as she watched Lexa receive her official jersey number and letterman jacket.

She was number 13 and the jacket fit her _very_ well, Clarke noticed with a slight blush. The guys cheered as Coach Titus slipped it onto her shoulders and congratulated her on officially becoming part of the team. Then he told the rest of them to rest up and keep themselves fit and healthy for Homecoming week, which would consist of a school carnival, a special dinner for all the fall sports teams and the cheerleaders, the homecoming game against Azgeda, and the homecoming dance, which Clarke had yet to shop for. Or find a date to.

She felt that swell of hope rise up in her again when she looked at Lexa in her new football jersey and letterman jacket. It would be such a cliché, she thought; a football player and a cheerleader going to the homecoming dance together. But still her heart fluttered at the thought of her walking, arm in arm, with Lexa into the school gymnasium, which would be decorated with the school colors: red and black. Slow dancing with her head on Lexa's shoulder, arms wrapped around her waist, swaying, with their chests pressed together…

"Clarke?"

Raven's voice snapped Clarke out of her thoughts and she turned to see the girl sitting next to her, a rather large grin on her face. She was holding a red rose close to her face, copper brown eyes alight with happiness. Clarke lifted one eyebrow at her.

"What's got you looking all cheery?" she asked and Raven's smile widened as she pulled a small index card out of her red leather jacket pocket, handing it to Clarke. Clarke plucked it from her fingers and read the card once, her eyes widening. She read it again.

And again.

Then she turned to Raven, unable to keep the shocked grin off of her face. "Indra asked you to the dance?" she asked. Raven nodded, practically glowing with excitement as she pressed the sweet rose to her nose. Clarke laughed and wrapped her arms around her friend, squeezing her tightly. "Congrats!" she said, then pulled back. "Wait, you said yes, right?"

"Duh!" Raven huffed and Clarke laughed, squeezing her again.

"Just checking," she said. "I'm so happy for you. I didn't even know you and Indra…"

"We're not," Raven said, pulling back. "I mean…we weren't." She shook her head. "I don't know. I guess we'll see? It's worth the try at least, don't you think?"

Clarke nodded before she even knew what she was doing, then felt immediately like a hypocrite. Still, she smiled for her friend and squeezed Raven's hand, looking out towards the field, where Lexa was already gathering up her things. Looking back to Raven, she nodded again.

"Yeah," she said. "Definitely."

 **So what do you guys think?**

 **Firstly, I have no idea what Harper's middle and last names are because I'm pretty sure we never got them in the series. When we do, then I'll change it. Until then, her middle name is Eleanor and her last name is Smith because…because.**

 **Second, how are the colors? I went with black and red because blood and nightblood. That's the only reasoning. Azgeda will have blue and white because Ice Nation.**

 **Third, THE INDRA AND RAVEN THING WAS NOT PLANNED, OKAY?! IT JUST CAME OUT. I DON'T CONTROL MY HANDS WHEN I WRITE; THEY CONTROL ME. I'm pretty sure these characters have never spoken, but I think Indra would like Raven if she knew her (because who wouldn't love that little ray of sunshine?).**

 **Lastly, I think you're all aware of where this is going, but I have a couple questions. One: who asks whom to homecoming? Is it Lexa being an awkward little lesbean or Clarke deciding to finally get over Finn and take a chance? Two: will Lexa wear a suit or a dress to homecoming?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry, I forgot to post this here! This story is also on AO3 as "Arcadia" and I always post there the second a chapter is done, so if there's a week without a chapter here, then it's most likely already been updated over there. My name on AO3 is Cassie_Bones.**

 **Chapter Seven**

Clarke's hands sweated as she walked into school on the first day of Spirit Week—a tradition that she usually loved, since the first day was typically Pajama Day and she got to wear her Harley Quinn-patterned cotton PJs—and her heart hammered in her chest as a million and one thoughts ran through her head before she even made it to homeroom. Octavia was already there, lounging in a pair of sweats and a hoodie that was so obviously not hers that she was surprised Bellamy wasn't already there, grilling her on where she'd gotten it.

"Nice sweater," Clarke commented as she sat down next to her.

"Nice pit stains," Octavia shot back and Clarke nearly had a heart attack, lifting one of her arms to look underneath it. She found nothing there, however, except for a small Harley winking up at her. She glared at her friend and Octavia smirked at her and shook her head. "Made you look." Clarke gave her the finger and Octavia snickered. "By the way," she said, "if Bell asks, you leant me this."

"And where exactly did I get the hoodie that's nearly twice my size?"

"I dunno," Octavia said, shrugging. "It's a Grounder hoodie, so you can just say you stole it from Nathan or something."

"Bryan has Nathan's hoodie," Clarke pointed out.

Octavia groaned. "Not the point, Griffin," she sighed. "Just don't tell my brother that Lincoln gave it to me. Or that he asked me to go with him to the carnival tonight."

"And you said yes?" Clarke asked, grinning. "What if somebody sees?"

"We're using Raven and Monty as buffers. As well as _their_ dates, Jasper and Indra." At Indra's name, she gave Clarke a pointed look. "Speaking of…it wasn't you who got them together, was it? Because, as cute as they are, I think I might barf if I hear one more of Indra's "cute scar" stories from Raven."

Clarke snorted and shook her head. "It wasn't my intention," she said. "I guess they just clicked.

Octavia nodded. "Kind of like you and…" she wiggled her eyebrows when Clarke flushed and glared at her.

"Shut up," the blonde grumbled.

"Come _on_ , Clarke!" Octavia groaned. "Haven't you asked the girl out yet? Homecoming is _this Friday_!"

"I know how to read a calendar, thanks. And, no, I haven't…not yet."

" _Yet_?" Octavia asked with a grin.

Clarke rolled her eyes. "Don't spoil it, okay? I was going to ask her if she wanted to hang out tonight, at the carnival, first. Ease into it, you know?"

"You might want to speed things up," Octavia whispered as the bell rang and everybody rose from their seats. "Because I heard she's been talking to Costia from English class."

Clarke's eyes widened at that. "What?" she hissed and Octavia just grinned, making her way out to first period.

O_O_O_O_O

Sure enough, the next time Clarke saw Lexa, she was talking to Costia, who was leaning against the wall next to her locker as she took out her Chemistry books, the two of them chattering on and on about something Clarke had no interest in. The only thing on her mind was the fact that Lexa was talking to one of the only _very_ openly gay girls in the school. And Costia's eyes flicked down and lingered a little too long as Lexa stretched to get something out of a locker that was too high up for her.

Clarke immediately felt something flare up in her chest and, while she didn't want to name exactly what it was, it was definitely not pleasant. And it had her acting before she could even think about what she was doing.

Sidling up next to Lexa, she forced a friendly smile at Costia as she grabbed her friend's hand and offered a chipper, "Hey!" to both girls.

Lexa offered her an instant smile while Costia raised one perfectly sculpted (and pierced) eyebrow and gave Clarke a wry grin and a knowing look, the emeralds of her eyes sparkling.

"Hey, Clarke," she greeted. "We were just talking about you."

"You were?" She looked at Lexa, whose cheeks were pink and whose eyes were focused down on their conjoined hands, as if she hadn't even noticed Clarke's fingers wrapping around hers just seconds ago. She shook her head and looked back up into Clarke's eyes, still blushing.

"No," she said, quickly, then shook her head. "I mean…yes." She took a deep breath. "Costia was wondering if I wanted to sit with her and her girlfriend at lunch today and I informed her that I typically sit with you and our other friends."

At the mention of a girlfriend Clarke didn't even know existed, her entire body relaxed and her smile became easier as she turned back to Costia, who was still grinning at them—now somewhat smug. "You're welcome to join us," she offered.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to impose," Costia replied. "Besides, my girl is majorly shy; she doesn't like being around too many people and, from what I hear, you two have formed quite the posse."

 _And yet you were more than happy to try and get Lexa to join you instead of sitting with her friends_ , Clarke thought, somewhat bitterly, to herself. She couldn't exactly blame Costia, though. Lexa was cute and sweet and smart and funny and…

 _Get a grip, Griffin. You're not even dating her yet._

 _Yet._ The word caused a flutter in Clarke's chest and she glanced sideways at Lexa, whose blush had still not left her cheeks. Clarke could feel her slightly damp hand in her grasp, still. She turned back to Costia, who was again giving them both a knowing grin. Clarke found that she really wouldn't have blamed Lexa for liking Costia, either. Her dark skin and tall, lean body were as enchanting as her bright green eyes and that smile that she wore which made even Clarke's heart skip a beat. Her hair was fashioned into twists that fell around her ears and she had a tiny white scar below her left eye that didn't take away from her beauty, but rather added to it.

Yeah, Clarke could see why Lexa might like Costia— _if_ Lexa even did like her like that, anyway.

"Well," Clarke said, "if you change your mind, we sit on the front lawn; you're more than welcome to join us."

"Thank you, Clarke," Costia said, but the look on her face told Clarke that she and her girlfriend (whomever she may be) would likely not be joining them for lunch. And Clarke was more than okay with that—as ridiculous and petty as it made her feel.

When they parted ways, Clarke was still holding Lexa's hand and she could tell that Lexa was still very aware of that fact. Her hand continued to sweat in Clarke's, but she couldn't bring herself to let go as they walked to Chemistry together, not talking. Pike greeted them at the door and spared a disapproving glance at their entwined fingers, lifting one eyebrow at Clarke, who flushed and almost immediately let go. She watched the disappointment flood Lexa's face and felt her own swell up in her chest; she almost reached out to take the other girl's hand again, but thought better of it.

She still hadn't told her mother about her feelings for Lexa and she'd rather not give busybody Pike any reason to do it for her. Abby would be upset if Clarke didn't do it herself. So instead Clarke smiled at her friend, hoping to reassure her, and gave her a little wave as she joined Raven at their desk.

"You two are so gross," Raven muttered, looking up at Clarke from where her head rested, her chin on her folded arms on the countertop. "And you're not even doing it yet."

Clarke rolled her eyes and nudged Raven with her elbow. "Shut up," she grunted, then looked down at Raven. "Is that seriously what you wear to bed?" She was wearing a simple white tank top and Jimmy Neutron boxers.

"Actually, I sleep in the buff," Raven informed her, "but I don't think any of y'all deserve to see that perfection. Well, except—"

"Nope," Clarke said, placing her hand over her friend's mouth. "I don't want any information about yours and Indra's sex life."

Raven knocked away her hand and glared at her. "For your information," she said, "we don't _have_ a sex life. Yet."

"Yet?"

Raven flushed. "We've kissed. Period."

Clarke gave her a teasing grin and an eyebrow wriggle but, getting the sense that Raven was uncomfortable talking about it, decided to drop the subject and focus on their work, instead. There would be time for 'girl talk' later, anyway. Hopefully by then she'd have a date.

O_O_O_O_O

The day went by rather uneventfully after that.

Lexa sat with them at lunch, this time sitting next to Clarke in her plain, red plaid pajamas, their thighs touching as they sat in the grass. She offered Clarke one of her cookies again and Clarke took it, happily, and offered her a bite of her sandwich. Indra and Raven cuddled across from them, the tinier Raven resting her head against her new girlfriend's shoulder, their fingers intertwined. Clarke thought about the fact that Raven had had the _audacity_ to call her and Lexa gross and snorted, earning a look of confusion from the girl next to her.

On Clarke's other side was Octavia, and then her boyfriend. They shared shy glances at each other and their pinkies brushed on the grass. They were even grosser than Raven and Indra. Nobody said anything; they all just seemed to bask in the silence and each other. But it soon became too much for Clarke, who felt the phantom heat of Lexa's lips on hers as the real heat from her thigh burned into Clarke's.

"So," she said, coughing a little as everybody looked up at her, "is everybody going to the carnival tonight?"

"Hell yeah," Raven said, sitting up. Indra looked momentarily disappointed, until Raven pulled her hand into her lap and started idly playing with the girl's dark fingers. "They're going to have a big ass rollercoaster this year. And a _ferris wheel_!"

"Why does that excite you so much?" Indra laughed.

"Raven's kind of an adrenaline junkie," Octavia explained. "She's terrified of heights, but she totally gets off on them." At that, Raven flushed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Plus, I like the mechanics," she said, peering up at Indra, who was smiling affectionately down at her.

"You're very cute, do you know that?" Indra asked her. Clarke and Octavia groaned.

"Yes, she knows," Octavia said.

"Very well. Her head is growing as we speak," Clarke added.

Raven flipped them off and reached up to kiss Indra's lips. "You're pretty cute yourself, babe," she said. Clarke could see the dark red of Indra's cheeks at that statement and she grinned.

"Get a room," she said and Raven sent her a withering glare that had Clarke hiding herself halfway behind Lexa, who laughed and shook her head. Clarke laughed, as well. "So?" she said, placing her chin on Lexa's shoulder. "Are you going to the carnival?"

Lexa shrugged the shoulder without Clarke's weight on it. "Possibly," she said. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well, do you like rides?" Clarke asked.

"Some," Lexa replied, cryptically.

"How about games? There's a lot of athletic ones where you could win prizes."

"Prizes? Like goldfish?"

"And stuffed animals," Octavia said, looking pointedly at her boyfriend.

"For the last time, you'll get your damn monkey," Lincoln huffed, poking her in the side. Octavia squealed and fell sideways into him, giggling. It took less than a second for her to spring back and look over her shoulder for her brother. Lincoln sighed.

"That sounds nice," Lexa said, looking to Clarke. "Are you…um, did you want to go _together_?"

Clarke felt her cheeks flush a bit at that and felt all eyes fall on her. Her throat was suddenly dry, but she tried not to show it. "Sure," she said, her voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat and nodded. "That would be cool." Her voice cracked again and Raven snorted, pressing her face against Indra's throat. Octavia gave Clarke a double thumbs up behind Lexa's back and Lincoln echoed it, grinning widely. Clarke shot them both a glare, before turning back to Lexa with a shy smile.

"I'll pick you up at six?"

"Sounds great."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The carnival was well underway by the time Clarke and Lexa showed up. Practice had run late for both of them and they'd only just had enough time to go home and change before Clarke showed up at Lexa's house, wearing a kind of Tiffany blue summery dress and a jean jacket over it, a pair of red converse on her feet. Her blonde hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders and Lexa's eyes had widened almost as soon as she opened the door. The brunette was dressed in another plaid shirt (red and black), a black tank top underneath it, and a pair of ripped skinny jeans that Clarke couldn't help but notice hugged her frame _very well_.

But the thing that got her blood pumping the most was the pair of blocky black-framed glasses perched on her nose, magnifying those electric green eyes. Clarke's eyes widened at the sight and Lexa visibly blushed.

"My contacts were starting to annoy me," she said, self-consciously pushing her glasses up with one long, delicate finger. "Do I look like a total dork?"

Clarke gave her a soft smile and shook her head. "No," she said. "Not a _total_ dork." Lexa softly hit her arm and Clarke laughed, grabbing her hand and tugged her out the door. "Come on," she said. "The church is right around the corner."

"Church? I thought we were going to some carnival," Lexa said, blinking at Clarke in confusion.

"It's held in a church parking lot, though," Clarke informed her. "The school doesn't really have room for a Ferris wheel, ya know?"

Lexa chuckled and nodded, following Clarke down the pathway to the sidewalk. Their hands stayed connected as they made their way around the corner, basking in the comfortable silence of the early-Autumn night. It was still warm out for October, but Lexa's hand wrapped around hers was very welcome and sent shivers up Clarke's arm. Her hand tightened involuntarily around Lexa's fingers and she could swear that Lexa squeezed back, the other girl's cheeks turning pink.

Before either of them knew it, they were walking onto the fairgrounds, their senses taking in the colorful sights, the loud, boisterous laughter of children, and the scents of the mouth-watering fair food. There were game booths set up like a long hallway on either side of them and straight ahead were the rides; swings and a rollercoaster and the Ferris wheel and so many more.

Clarke tugged Lexa towards the ticket booth and they flashed their ID's to get the student wristbands, which would allow them unlimited access to all of the rides. Lexa had barely finished putting hers on before Clarke was dragging her off down the path, like an excited child. All Lexa could do was smile and allow herself to get dragged.

"Let's go on the teacups first!" Clarke exclaimed, pointing to the ride, which had a line full of small children, all bouncing on their toes.

Lexa lifted one eyebrow at her. "I'm pretty sure that ride is for kids," she said. Clarke pouted at her, giving her wide puppy dog eyes until Lexa sighed and held out her arm. The blonde let out an excited squeak and took her friend's hand, dragging her straight to the back of the line. Lexa tried to ignore the giggles from the children surrounding them, focusing instead on the girl bouncing on her toes right beside her.

At least she was an amusing sight.

It took less than five minutes for the line to move forward enough for them to get onto the ride, Clarke picking out a pretty pink teacup and pulling Lexa inside with her, looking around excitedly, practically vibrating in her seat. Lexa couldn't hide her amusement and just grinned at Clarke until she noticed and raised her eyebrows.

"What?" she asked. "I like the teacups."

"I can see that," Lexa said, still smiling. "You're very…youthful."

"Are you calling me a baby?"

"No, I'm calling you youthful. It's a compliment, trust me."

"It better be, Woods."

"What are you going to do if it isn't, Griffin?"

Their faces were inches apart now, their noses practically brushing. Clarke felt her heartrate pick up and wondered if this was the moment for her to—

But then the ride started and she slid away from Lexa, her hands grasping for the wheel in the center as a surprised laugh left her mouth and she started to turn them. Lexa joined seconds later, the two of them laughing uproariously as they spun around and around, the lights starting to swirl their vision, fingers knocking together as they fumbled for the wheel. Clarke found herself watching as Lexa laughed, her head tipped back as her hair flew around her head, getting tangled slightly in the glasses that were slowly inching their way down her nose. Clarke lifted one hand, impulsively, her intention to push the glasses back up, but before she could Lexa's hand had done it, the middle finger pushing the spectacles up absently, before returning to the wheel and tugging at it again.

Clarke's hand dropped, blindly, and landed clumsily onto the wheel, overlapping Lexa's slightly. It was enough for the brunette to look up, a wide grin still stretching her lips, and lock eyes with the other girl. Suddenly, Clarke's heart felt like it would beat out of her chest, the heat of Lexa's skin burning her fingertips, her breath stilted in her lungs. Then Lexa's face changed from pure joy to a look of concern, her head tilting to the side, her brows furrowed together, questioningly. Clarke realized then that her emotions—mainly fear, she guessed—were written all over her face and she hastened to replaced them with a smile as she shook her head and continued to laugh, tugging once more at the wheel so that her blonde hair obstructed her heated face.

By the time the ride began to slow, Lexa was right back to laughing with her, the two stumbling into each other as they stepped off the ride, still giggling like children. Clarke nearly tripped over a crack in the pavement and Lexa instinctively wrapped her arm around her waist, pulling her back against her body.

"Watch out," she warned, her breath washing over Clarke's ear and sending a shiver down her spine. Clarke turned to her with a smile and she could feel the heat on her cheeks as she looked up at her.

"Thanks," she said, clearing her throat slightly, trying not to let the fact that Lexa's fingers were practically searing her through the fabric of her dress make her shiver or pull away too soon. She didn't want to pull away at all, but she felt as if she might do something stupid or embarrassing if she didn't get some space soon. "So," she said, clearing her throat, "what next?" She pulled back just enough to look Lexa in the eye, but the girl's hand was still firmly set on the small of Clarke's back.

"I don't think I can handle another ride right now," Lexa said, chuckling as a flush came over her features.

"Then how about a game?" Clarke suggested, nodding to the aisle of carnival games that flashed lights and made sounds. There were walls of large prizes behind each counter and young children all gathered around, squealing as they played racing games and threw beanbags and footballs at targets in an attempt to win a stuffed animal or—in some cases—a fish. "You can win me something with your strong arm." Impulsively, she reached out and wrapped her arm around one of Lexa's biceps, her eyes widening slightly when she realized that it was all muscle.

Either that or Lexa was flexing.

Clarke didn't know which thought made her heart flutter more, but she attempted to ignore it as Lexa flashed her a grin and nodded, guiding her—hand _still_ on the small of her back—to the game where a young boy was attempting to hit a large red target with a football toss. He missed and pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, as they approached.

"Sorry, kid," said the carnie with a sympathetic smile. "Maybe next time." She reached under the counter and handed him a tiny keychain with the Grounders logo on it. He sighed and stepped to the side to allow the girls ahead of him. The carnie smiled at the sight of them. "Hey, you're that new football player at AHS, aren't ya? First girl on the team!"

Lexa blushed and nodded, scratching the back of her neck. "Yeah," she said. "That's me. I'd like to play two games, please?"

"Sure can do. It'll be good practice for you." Lexa dug her wallet out of her pocket and handed the lady four dollars, receiving two footballs in return. "One bullseye gets you a medium prize. Two gets you a large prize. Four gets you one of the ones hanging up here." She pointed to a row of giant multicolored gorillas overhead and Lexa nodded.

"Got it," she said, picking up her first football and positioning it in her hand. There was a large target set up on the back counter, with a hole in the center, just big enough to allow a football through, if thrown correctly. Clarke stepped back, standing next to the still sulking little boy, and watched with awe as Lexa positioned herself at an angle, checked her finger placement on the ball, and then threw a perfect spiral straight through the center. It didn't even brush the edges of the hole.

Clarke, the boy, and the carnie all gaped at Lexa, who just shrugged, giving them all an embarrassed grin. "What?" she said. "I've been training my whole life. Literally."

"Can you teach me how to do that?" the boy asked, his eyes wide as saucers and Lexa nodded, motioning him forward. He wasted no time, stepping back up to the counter and grabbing the football. Lexa stood behind him and positioned it in his hand.

"Make sure that your fingers are in line with the laces on top, okay?" she said, softly and he nodded, allowing her to move his hand a little. "Try not to stretch your hand too much, otherwise it will start to cramp and you'll lose your grip, but make sure it's not about to slip at the same time, okay? Wrap your thumb around underneath and hold it at ear level. Elbow raised slightly. Now, as you throw, pivot your back foot so that it follows the motion of your hand and try to send it straight through there, okay?" He nodded and Lexa stepped away. "Whenever you're ready," she said, gently, smiling as he nodded and took a breath, pivoting his foot and dragging his arm forward, releasing the football so that it flew through the air…

And knocked against the edge of the hole, bouncing onto the floor. The boy deflated, sighing and Lexa placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's alright," she said. "It takes a lot of practice, but you'll get the hang of it."

"Until then," the carnie said, "let's call that one a freebie. Go ahead and pick a big prize, but don't tell anybody I let you have this, okay?" She winked at Lexa, who grinned and looked down at the boy.

"Go ahead," she said and his eyes widened.

"Really?" She nodded and he beamed, pointing at a large shark on the top shelf. The carnie pulled it down and handed it to him, smiling. The boy thanked her and then turned, throwing his arms around Lexa's waist. "Thank you so much!" he said. "You're awesome!"

Lexa flushed bright red and Clarke smirked, watching as she awkwardly patted the boy's head. "Uh, anytime," she said. He practically skipped away, waving his new toy over his head and Clarke smothered her laugh against the heel of her hand and shook her head.

"You ready for the next game?" the carnie asked, placing two more footballs on the table. Lexa turned to look at Clarke, offering her one of the balls, but the blonde shook her head.

"Oh no," she said. "I'm fine. Football is your game. I'm more of a darts girl."

Lexa laughed and it was like music to Clarke's ears, heat rolling over her body as she watched the other girl get back into position, gripping the football firmly and then throwing it swiftly through the target. She did the same with the next one and the carnie motioned to the top shelf of large prizes. Once again, Lexa turned back to Clarke.

"Pick one," she said and Clarke's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Pick a prize," Lexa clarified.

"Oh, Lex, you don't have to—"

"I want to," Lexa said. "Come on, you can win me a fish later or something."

Clarke chuckled and nodded, perusing the choices. All were stuffed animals, fluffy and adorable and incredibly soft-looking. Her gaze stopped at one in particular; a stuffed raccoon, with shimmery light eyes surrounded by the typical black mask. It was wearing a Grounders letterman jacket, as the raccoon was their school mascot. In a way, it reminded Clarke of Lexa, which was probably why she found herself pointing it out to the carnie, who reached up and tugged it down, handing it to her.

Clarke hugged it to her chest and turned to Lexa, smiling warmly at her. "Thank you," she said. Then, before she could lose her nerve, leaned in and pressed a quick peck to Lexa's cheek. When she pulled back, the girl was a stammering mess, her hand once again at the back of her neck, her face so red that Clarke thought her head might explode. Suddenly, the girl who had just thrown three perfect spirals will all the focus in the world—and who was able to tackle guys nearly twice her size on a daily basis and exude confidence in much of what she did—was a blushing, nervous, stuttering wreck.

And Clarke found it adorable.

Chuckling, she grabbed Lexa's hand and tugged her onto the next game. Lexa went without question, their fingers tangled between them, palms kissing.

A few stalls down were the goldfish, swimming around their small bowls, just waiting to be taken home. When they reached it, Clarke recognized Monty and Jasper, who were having issues getting the darts to hit their target. Monty was trying to use his knowledge of physics to help Jasper get his dart in the center of one of the tiny stars scattered on a sheet of paper on the back wall. It was not working.

"Shit," Jasper groaned, as he missed the last target. "I'm all out of money."

"Same here," Monty sighed. "Man you really suck at this."

"You weren't any better," Jasper shot back.

Clarke rolled her eyes as they continued to bicker and put her own money down for a couple of games, receiving three darts for the first. Without much to it, she picked up the first and threw it straight into the center of a star and then did the same for the next two, smiling proudly as the carnie handed her a bagged goldfish and a tiny packet of fish food. She handed both to Lexa and then received three more darts. Again, each dart sailed easily into the stars and she received another goldfish and more food. Clarke grinned cockily as she turned to her guy friends, who were now staring at her, jaws practically unhinged.

"Do you want the fish or not?" she asked, holding it out towards them. Jasper was the first to snap out of his daze and nodded, accepting the offered fish and tucking the food into his pocket.

"Thanks, Clarke," he said with a grin. "Aw, man he's so cute!"

"Hey little guy," Monty said, looking over his shoulder. "We should name him Tesla."

"Tesla Green-Jordan," Jasper said, testing the name out on his lips. "That's cool. And his middle name can be Clarke, after his aunty C."

"I'm honored," Clarke laughed, rolling her eyes. The boys grinned at her and smothered her with a hug while Clarke let out an exaggerated grunt at their nonexistent force, then they left her and Lexa, heading off with their little 'Tesla'. Clarke snorted and turned back to Lexa, who surprised her with a kiss on the cheek, similar to the one Clarke had bestowed on her earlier. This time, however, it was Clarke's turn to be the stuttering mess while Lexa smiled at her.

"Um," Clarke said, fighting past the heat in her cheeks. "Now what?"

Lexa shrugged. "Wanna get something to eat?"

"Only if you don't want to go on the rollercoaster," Clarke said. "Trust me; you do not wanna go on that thing with a full stomach."

"I'm not really big on rollercoasters, anyway," Lexa informed her. "Besides, I've been wanting to try that fried dough thing forever."

"You mean the zeppoles?" Clarke asked. "They're great!"

"So you've had them before?"

"At every carnival I've been to since I was six!" Clarke exclaimed. "I can't believe you haven't."

"We didn't go to many carnivals," Lexa said. "Besides, my dad was a chef; we mostly ate at home."

Clarke nodded. "Makes sense," she said. "But you've _got_ to try these. They're so good!"

"Lead the way," Lexa said, and Clarke found herself sorely disappointed at the fact that she couldn't grab her hand, since Lexa was holding the fish gently with both of hers. She thrilled, however, at the way her spine tingled when their shoulders brushed on the way to the small picnic area just a few dozen yards away. This will do, she thought, feeling her cheeks warm up slightly as she guided her date to a table.

Lexa sat the fish down and attempted to dig her wallet out but Clarke waved her off.

"My treat," she said, offering Lexa what she hoped was a flirty grin. The look on Lexa's face told her that it was successful as the brunette averted her eyes down to the fish on the table, her bottom lip pulled in between her teeth. Clarke's heart swelled and she turned away, quickly so that Lexa wouldn't see the effect she was having simply by existing.

Clarke sighed internally as she made her way to the zeppole stand. _You've got it bad, Griffin_ , a voice in the back of her mind—which sounded suspiciously like Raven—whispered. Glancing back at their table, Clarke's eyes ran over Lexa and she smiled.

 _Yeah_ , she thought, smiling as she turned back to place her order. _I really do._

 **This one ran a bit long, but hopefully it will soothe the ache that tonight's finale is definitely going to bring. If anybody needs to talk, my Tumblr is cassiebones and my inbox is open. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"You've got a little…" Clarke tapped her nose, but Lexa's brows knotted in confusion, her head tilting to the side in that cute puppy-dog way she had. Clarke chuckles as a few flakes of sugar were shaken from where they rested on the tip of the brunette's nose. Clarke had bought a bag with a dozen zeppoles and—as it turned out—they were Lexa's new favorite treat. She'd already pretty much vacuumed through half of the bag and now her lips were covered in the sweet powdered sugar, which Clarke had had to look away from every time Lexa's tongue had come out to swipe it away. She felt her cheeks heat up as she did it again and Clarke glanced down at Fish, swimming in his bowl; she hadn't been able to think of a more original name.

"What?" Lexa asked, calling her attention back to the slight dusting of sugar at the tip of her nose. Clarke bit back her smile and pulled a napkin from her jacket pocket, balling it up in her fist.

"Stay still," she said as she reached across the picnic table, arm outstretched. She saw Lexa's eyes widen as she swiped at her nose and the sugar crumbled off, dusting the table. When the other girl saw what Clarke had done, she flushed bright red.

"Oh," she said. "Well, that's not embarrassing at all."

Clarke laughed and shook her head. "Just be grateful Raven wasn't here," she said. "She would have taken, like, a million pictures. They'd have a hundred likes on Instagram within the hour."

"Then I'm grateful it's just us," Lexa said, her cheeks going slightly pink as she looked down, bashfully. Clarke mirrored the look as she dropped the napkin in the now empty paper bag and reached for Lexa's hand on the table, causing the girl to look up at her.

"Me too," she said, staring Lexa straight in the eye. She tried to convey everything she was still too scared to say in that exact moment (though she hoped she would get over it before the night's end) and slotted her fingers with Lexa's, squeezing slightly. The smile Lexa gave her melted Clarke's heart and she opened her mouth, intent on finally saying the words that would—

"LOOK AT MY MONKEY!"

Clarke and Lexa jumped, their fingers untangling as they looked up at Octavia, who was brandishing a large stuffed ape that was nearly half her size, her arms wrapped around it like she was cradling a delicate child. Lincoln, Raven, Indra, Monty, and Jasper walked with her, each of them carrying prizes and food of their own. Raven and Indra's hands were linked and they both had knowing looks on their faces. The rest of their friends, however, seemed oblivious.

Clarke was caught halfway between telling her friends to get lost and just giving up all hope of ever asking Lexa to the homecoming dance. Luckily, Octavia distracted her from her thoughts as she shoved the purple animal in her face and practically screeched, "LOOK AT HIM!"

"Very nice, O," Clarke replied, dryly, craning her neck around the mass of fake fur to look up at Lincoln. "How much did that cost you?"

"Let's just say the only way I'm going to college is through an athletic scholarship." He nodded at the stuffed raccoon Clarke had on the bench next to her. "How much did that set you back?"

"Four dollars," Lexa answered with a cheeky grin. "I gave the first prize to some kid, though."

Lincoln crossed his arms and gave her a mock pout. "Show off."

Octavia looked between them and then at Clarke. "I think I'm dating the wrong football player," she said.

"Hey!" Lincoln exclaimed, poking her in the side. Octavia squeaked and swung the monkey at his chest, making him laugh as it let out a tiny _whomp_ upon impact. He pulled her against his chest and pressed a kiss to her forehead that practically had her purring, then he looked over at Clarke and Lexa. "So, where are you guys headed to next?"

Clarke looked to Lexa and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. The brunette's shoulders raised in answer. "Ferris wheel?" she suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Clarke agreed, turning back to Lincoln. "You?"

"I need food," Octavia groaned, patting her flat tummy. "Boyfriend, buy me food?"

"Eat the monkey," Lincoln replied. "Otherwise, I have nothing left." As if to prove his point, he reached into his pockets and turned both inside out with a frown.

"You weren't kidding about the college thing, were you?" Clarke asked, snorting.

"I take donations in cash, checks, and gift cards to Sports Authority."

Clarke reached into her pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "This should get you about a dozen zeppoles and two drinks," she said. "You owe me."

"I got you," Lincoln said, fist-bumping her. "How about I babysit your fish for you while you take your girl on the Ferris wheel?" He wiggled his eyebrows when Clarke blushed and she wanted nothing more than to punch him in his smug face...but she kept her composure as she sighed and nodded.

"Fine," she said. "You okay with leaving Fish here with Lincoln, Lexa?"

"He seems trustworthy," Lexa replied, nodding. "If he dies while I'm gone, you'll have to buy me another one, though."

"Girl, I am broke," Lincoln reminded her. "I just offered to babysit a damn fish for ten dollars."

"And we expect to get our money's worth," Lexa retorted. "You better take good care of Fish; he's family."

"Whatever you say, weirdo," Lincoln snorted under his breath. Lexa stood and elbowed him in the side and he snickered, giving her a soft shove. Clarke stood up with her, tucking her raccoon under her arm. As they passed Raven and Indra (who were making those disgusting googly eyes at each other. Again.), Clarke stopped to whisper in the former's ear.

"Keep an eye on Lincoln," she said. "Make sure he doesn't kill Lexa's fish."

Raven gave her a mock salute. "Auntie Raven is on duty," she said, then giggled, murmuring the word "doodie" under her breath as she tugged Indra toward the table. Clarke and Indra shared an eye roll and she suddenly felt much closer to the other girl.

Clarke linked her arm with Lexa's and the two strolled leisurely toward the Ferris wheel, which had a rather short line that seemed to be shrinking quickly. They stood in silence, their elbows locked, and shared sly glances at each other every now and then, quickly looking away so as not to get caught. When it came to their turn, Lexa allowed Clarke to get into the seat first, then situated herself next to her. The only thing between them was Clarke's raccoon's squished body and even that wasn't enough to distract her from the heat of Lexa's hand, which had fallen near Clarke's leg.

Clarke felt her face heat up so much that the slight wind that ruffled through her blonde curls wasn't even enough to cool her down. She avoided Lexa's eye, looking out at the bird's eye view of the church parking lot, at all the carnival patrons milling about. She quickly located her friends near the zeppole cart and recognized Lincoln and Octavia as the former fed the latter in a disgustingly romantic fashion. She wrinkled her nose slightly, shaking her head, then turned to find Lexa staring at her, green eyes lit up intensely.

"What?" Clarke asked, feeling the heat return to her cheeks.

"Nothing," Lexa replied, shaking her head and giving her a slight smirk. "It's just...nothing." Her cheeks bloomed red and her hair fell over them like a curtain as she looked down. Clarke felt a flutter in her chest and took a deep breath, getting her bearings as she reached for Lexa's hand, linking their fingers. Lexa glanced over, blinking up at Clarke from under the curtain of brown waves and the blonde smiled, biting her lip.

"I'm glad you're here," she said, feeling her throat suddenly go dry at the look of surprise in Lexa's eyes. "With me," she added, her voice a little bit rougher.

Lexa gave her a sweet smile that caused yet another flutter, this time in her stomach. "Me too," she whispered, squeezing Clarke's hand.

Clarke grinned bashfully and fought to keep her eyes locked with Lexa's as she cleared her throat again. "So," she said, "I was wondering…"

"Yeah?" Lexa asked, her interest piqued by the look of apprehension in the blonde's eyes.

"Um," Clarke said, feeling her heartrate pick up at the hopeful look in Lexa's eyes. "I was wondering if you might want to…I mean, if you wanted to…I mean…" She shook her head and swallowed thickly, looking down at their linked fingers. Lexa's squeezed hers and Clarke felt a little bit of the tension ease as she looked up into her kind face, green eyes twinkling. Lexa nodded in encouragement and Clarke took another deep breath. "I was wondering if you would like to…gotothehomecomingdancewithme!" She let it all out in one breath and felt her face turn to flames at the look of surprise and confusion on Lexa's face as she did that puppy dog head tilt and knotted her brows together.

"Huh?"

Clarke sighed, her blonde hair fluttering with her breath, and forced her words out more slowly: "Do you want to go to Homecoming with me?" she asked, taking a deep breath once the words were out of her mouth.

"Huh?" Lexa's eyes were wide as saucers, her cheeks pink and rosy, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

"Please don't make me say it any slower because I don't think that's possible," Clarke groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"No, I heard you," Lexa replied, smiling slightly. "I just meant…you want to go to Homecoming with me?" Clarke nodded. "What about that thing you said last week about not being 'ready'?"

"I…I realized how dumb it sounds?" Clarke tried, then slumped in her seat. "I mean, it's been a year and we only dated for, like, a _month_. Raven dated him for years and yet she moved on just fine, you know?"

"That doesn't mean you have to," Lexa said, squeezing her hand. "People handle things differently. Just because Raven was quick to move on, doesn't mean you have to be. I'm fine with waiting, if that's what you need."

Clarke smiled at her, feeling her heart swell with affection. She knew how much Lexa liked her (had known since their little talk about the whole surprise kiss debacle) and it meant so much to her that she was willing to give her space and time despite their obvious feelings for each other. But she was so tired of time and space and letting her heart 'heal' after all this time. If anything, being around Lexa had shown her just how much her heart had healed without her even taking notice of it. And while she was still cautious about trusting somebody else with it again, Clarke realized that Lexa was worth the risk.

"I don't want to wait anymore," she said, squeezing Lexa's hand again. "I'm through with waiting. I just…I just want to give this a shot. Give _us_ a shot. And I hope…I hope you feel the same." She looked away now, slightly embarrassed by how cheesy the words that had just come out of her mouth sounded. It was as if she was in some kind of overdramatic rom com, or worse: a sappy romance novel. Not even the good kind, either. More like the kind they sold in CVS.

Then she felt heat at her chin and it took her a moment to realize that it was Lexa's fingers lightly cupping her jaw, gently guiding Clarke's gaze back to hers. Lexa's eyes were soft and shimmery and enchanting, almost putting Clarke in a trance as their faces moved closer together—so near that Clarke could feel the heat of Lexa's breath on her lips. Her heart stuttered as she waited—for what, she had no idea.

"Yes," Lexa breathed, finally, giving Clarke a smirk.

"Yes?" Clarke echoed, her brows furrowing slightly in confusion. All she could focus on was the intensity in Lexa's gaze.

"Yes," Lexa repeated. "I would love to go to Homecoming with you."

Suddenly, it was like all the tension had left Clarke's body, leaving her with a feeling that she was so light she might float into the clouds. As if to ground herself, she leaned forward, pressing her lips to Lexa's for the first time in weeks, letting out a sigh at the softness that met her. The kiss was chaste for the most part, but Clarke's heart still lit up like a firework as she felt Lexa's lips curl upward in a smile.

When they pulled back, both girls were blushing and smiling widely, suddenly very bashful as they looked away from each other, gazing out at the crowds milling about below. Clarke felt Lexa's fingers interlock with hers between their bodies and she bit her lip, glancing over at the other girl, who did the same.

The smiles didn't leave their lips until they returned to the ground.

"That was fun," Lexa said, her voice quiet as she and Clarke walked, hand-in-hand, up the pathway to her house.

Clarke nodded, smiling over at her as they reached the front door. "It really was," she said. The raccoon was tucked against her chest, the soft fur tickling his chin. "I'm really glad you came out with us tonight." She took a deep breath. "With _me_ ," she corrected.

They stopped and turned to each other under the porch light, their fingers unlinking. Lexa held Fish (who miraculously lived through fifteen minutes in the care of Lincoln and Raven) in her left hand and brought him closer to her chest as she bit her lip, looking bashfully at Clarke. "I'm glad I came out, too," she said, tilting her head in _that_ way. Clarke was unable to keep herself from reaching up to push a lock of hair away from her face, her fingers knocking slightly into Lexa's glasses and knocking them askew.

"Oops," she chuckled, tucking her stuffed animal under her arm so that both hands were free to fix the adorably dorky glasses. "Sorry about that." Lexa's eyes widened slightly at the close proximity, but she didn't seem too bothered by it. Not at all, in fact. Her free hand came up to rest on Clarke's, which had fallen to cup her jaw near her ear and she slotted her fingers between the blonde's, leaning into her touch. Clarke smiled at that and leaned forward until the tip of her nose brushed against Lexa's, their breaths mingling as their eyes closed, their lips getting closer until…

"Lexa, is that—oh, sorry!"

Clarke and Lexa jumped apart—the latter nearly falling into the bushes behind her—when the door opened suddenly and Anya poked her head out, only to immediately close the door again when she realized what she had interrupted.

It was too late, though; the moment was gone. Lexa and Clarke shared a look and amused smiles broke over their faces, before both of them let out nervous chuckles and shook their heads. Clarke cleared her throat.

"So," she said, "I'll, uh, see you tomorrow then?"

Lexa nodded, giving her a crooked grin. "Tomorrow," she said.

Clarke's smile widened and she leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to Lexa's cheek, which spawned a cute flush of pink across her cheeks. "Goodnight, Lexa," she whispered, squeezing her free hand, before making her way back up the path.

Lexa watched her go, a dopey grin on her face and hearts in her eyes as she pressed her hand to the spot on her cheek that Clarke's lips had touched. "Goodnight, Clarke," she whispered in return. Clarke shot her one more precious grin before getting into her car and gave a wave as she pulled away from the curb. Lexa lifted her hand in a tiny wave back, before turning and opening the front door.

Once inside, she leaned back against the hardwood and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she let a slow smile spread her lips.

"So," a voice said, startling her. Lexa opened her eyes to see her older sister situated on the stairs, her hands folded in her lap as she smiled up at her, one eyebrow raised. "Did you have fun?"

Lexa rolled her eyes and walked past, heading to the kitchen to find a bowl for Fish. Anya was right on her tail.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Everything was different.

They were shyer around each other now. They flushed bright pink every time their eyes met during class or even at lunch. At practice, Clarke spent most of her time watching Lexa on the field—nothing new there, but there was something different about the way Lexa looked now. Something in the way she carried herself; in the way she smiled. Something about the way she glanced over at Clarke every now and then as she ran down the field, sending her a smirk as she dodged a tackle.

"Clarke! Focus!" Harper yelled, interrupting her thoughts. "You can talk to your girlfriend later. Homecoming is _this Friday!_ " Clarke rolled her eyes, but forced herself to turn away from Lexa, ignoring the fluttering in her chest as Harper's word echoed in her mind: _girlfriend_.

Were they girlfriends? All Clarke had really done was ask her to Homecoming. And they'd kissed. More than once. But did that mean that they were officially a couple? Or were they just dating? Clarke knew that she'd said she wanted to 'give them a shot' but neither of them had even bothered to clarify what that entailed.

She hoped it meant more kissing.

After practice, Clarke headed straight for the showers, rinsing off as quickly as possible, before getting dressed and running back out to the field, where the football team was running a few last-minute drills. The boys seemed to finally be treating her like she wasn't completely made of glass and Lexa was thriving, swiftly avoiding being tackled when she had the ball and easily taking down her teammates when they did. Lincoln and Miller high-fived her and she even got a pat on the back from Murphy, who had laughed uproariously when she took Bellamy down with little to no effort.

Bellamy, of course, didn't think it was so funny.

When Lexa was finally done—and probably very banged up by the look of her limp—Clarke ran out to meet her, touching her for the first time that day as she enveloped the other girl in a hug. Lexa let out a groan and Clarke pulled back, eyes wide.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes checking over Lexa with worry.

Lexa nodded, stiffly. "Yeah," she said. "Practice was just a little intense today. I'll be fine."

"Okay…" Clarke said, unsure. "But, just in case, let me give you a ride home."

"Uh, I don't think we should go to my house right now," Lexa said, allowing Clarke to help her out to the parking lot.

"What? Why not?"

"Anya's home and there's no way we're going to get any peace with her around. Not after last night." She flushed as she looked away and Clarke softly cupped her chin, bringing her gaze back around to meet hers. She smiled as she leaned in and pressed a sweet, simple kiss to Lexa's lips. When she pulled away, Lexa's face was practically in flames.

"To make up for last night," Clarke said, by way of explanation.

Lexa grinned. "I happen to remember several kisses last night that more than make up for the one we missed."

Clarke lifted an eyebrow. "You want me to take it back?" she asked. Lexa's eyes widened and she shook her head, furiously. "That's what I thought," she said. "Come on, we'll go to my place. My mom should be working late tonight."

"I thought she was the school nurse."

"She is," Clarke hummed. "During the day. At night, she works general surgery at Arcadia Mass General."

"Does she ever sleep?"

"Probably not."

Lexa chuckled as they approached Clarke's car and placed her pads in the back, but kept firm hold of her helmet.

"Lex, I only live about three blocks away," she said, getting into the driver's seat.

"Still," Lexa replied. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

Clarke took a deep breath, but said nothing. She wasn't about to tease the other girl for a very reasonable fear; she could be a bitch sometimes, but she wasn't a dick.

"Are you going to wear your helmet to your first away game on Saturday?" she asked as she pulled out of her spot.

"Of course," Lexa replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I meant on the bus, silly," Clarke said, teasing gently.

"Oh," Lexa said, frowning. "I hadn't considered that. Do you think the others will make fun of me?"

"Murphy might," Clarke replied honestly. "The others might laugh. But Lincoln and Miller will probably come to your defense."

"I don't need anybody's protection," Lexa harrumphed. "I can take care of myself."

Clarke sighed. "I know," she said, reaching for Lexa's hand and giving it a quick squeeze before placing it right back on the steering wheel. "Doesn't mean they won't have your back."

"I suppose," Lexa sighed. Then she pressed her lips together and looked out the window. Clarke glanced over and caught the way her fingers were fumbling nervously in her lap.

"You okay?" she asked and Lexa turned back; Clarke was able to see the trepidation through the slits in her helmet and it filled her with worry.

"Yeah, I just…" Lexa sighed and looked away again, then back. "Would you…I mean, you're going to be at the game, right?"

"Of course," Clarke said. "I'm always there."

Lexa smirked slightly and shook her head. "Well," she said, "what if you…what if you rode with us? To the game, you know? Or…I could ride with you?"

Clarke's eyes widened. "Oh," she said. "Well, I was actually planning on driving up there. This way Raven and O could come with. I guess I'll be ferrying Indra, too. And…and you, if you want."

"Very much," Lexa said with a relieved sigh.

Clarke nodded. "Okay," she said. "I'm sorry I never offered before. It didn't even occur to me."

"It's fine," Lexa assured her. "I just hope coach will allow it."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"We're supposed to go over plays and strategies and blah, blah, blah…I could do all of it in my sleep, but Titus would be pissed if I wasn't there to review."

"Sounds like a real hard ass," Clarke murmured.

Lexa snorted. "You have no idea."

Clarke grinned and reached for the radio, turning it to a random station and turning up the volume on some rock song she hoped would distract Lexa. They were nearly to her house, anyway. Before the song was even over, she pulled into her driveway and shut off the engine. When she looked over at Lexa, though, she found her staring up at the house, mouth gaping beneath her helmet.

"Are you okay?" Clarke asked as she opened her door and grabbed her bags from the back.

"This is where you live?" Lexa gasped, stepping out onto the pavement of the three-car driveway. Clarke flushed and shrugged her shoulders, looking up at the house.

She'd never considered her house that extravagant. Sure, it was on the bigger side, and in a nice neighborhood. Her father used to rent it from his boss and then, after the accident, he'd given it to her mother, along with a generous settlement that was meant to make up for the fact that her father had lost his life at one of their construction sites. It hadn't, but Clarke liked to think that it helped that her mother didn't have to struggle to make rent payments or keep the water and heat running.

"It's a long story," she told Lexa, "but yeah; this is where I live. It's smaller on the inside, I guess? I mean, it only has four bedrooms."

" _Four_?" Lexa gasped. "Seriously?"

"Well, one of them is actually my mom's office, but…yeah. Doesn't your house have three bedrooms? That's pretty big for somebody Anya's age to afford."

"We got a small inheritance," Lexa said, looking away. "And our grandparents lent Anya a big chunk of the money. They won't let her pay them back." She snorted and shook her head. "Anya doesn't like that very much."

"I had no idea," Clarke said, softly.

Lexa shrugged one shoulder and gave her a sad smile. "Why would you?" she said, grabbing Clarke's hand. "Come on." She pulled her toward the house and Clarke went, interlocking her fingers with Lexa's, feeling a knot form in her stomach.

At the front door, she turned the key in the lock with one hand and grasped Lexa's fingers with the other, tugging her inside as soon as it was open.

The foyer was split into upstairs and downstairs and Lexa started toward the former, before Clarke tugged her back with a smirk.

"My room is this way," she said, and she could swear that Lexa blushed and swallowed thickly, but she came anyway, removing her helmet as Clarke led her down a short flight of stairs into what looked to be a tiny rec room. "The reason this place has so many bedrooms," Clarke said, "is because it's technically a two-family. My parents used to rent out the upstairs, but after… _it_ happened, my mom got the whole place and I moved down here when I was thirteen." She nodded to a doorway just off the main room. "It's not huge, but it's home. And there's a whole floor between me and my mom."

Lexa was eerily quiet and Clarke turned to see her worrying her lip, her biceps flexing around the helmet. She was pointedly looking away from Clarke, which worried the blonde immensely. She wondered if she'd said something to offend her.

"Lex? Are you okay?" she asked, tugging on the girl's hand, which was still clutched in hers.

"Uh…I'm a little sore," Lexa replied, still not meeting Clarke's eye. "And I'm a virgin."

"Um…okay?" Clarke said, frowning in confusion.

"So I'm not really comfortable, um, you know…" Her face was beet red now and she was half-hiding it behind her helmet.

Clarke's face mirrored hers and her eyes widened, her hand clenching around Lexa's. "Whoa, hey!" she said, waiting until Lexa peeked shyly over the top of her helmet to meet her eyes. "I wasn't…I mean, I would never…I mean…" She shook her head furiously. "That's not what I was getting at, Lexa," she insisted. "I just meant that I had privacy from my mother because, you know, I just…like…privacy." She pressed a hand to her forehead. "I would never force you to do anything you didn't want to do, okay? And, besides, it's way too soon for us to think about that right now. I mean…what even are we?"

"You don't know either?" Lexa asked, her cheeks still bright pink.

Clarke shook her head. "I know that I like you," she admitted, her grip loosening on Lexa's hand even as she stepped closer. Her heart began to flutter again as Lexa looked down and smiled, shyly. "I know that I'm taking you to Homecoming and I'm going to be there cheering for you at every one of your football games."

Lexa snorted. "You're a cheerleader, Clarke," she reminded her.

"Still," Clarke laughed. "I'll be cheering for you the most out of anyone. And you'll be kicking ass because that's what you do."

"Naturally," Lexa joked, leaning in. "But what can I call you? My…you know?"

Clarke sighed and looked down. "Can we not…I mean, can we go on a second date, first? Before we DTR?"

"Before we what?" Lexa asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Define the relationship?" Clarke laughed. "Come on, Lex; get with the times."

Lexa huffed and nudged Clarke with her helmet. "Sorry I'm not hip enough for you, Griffin," she said.

"Oh, your hips are plenty for me, Woods," Clarke said, placing her free hand on one and tugging Lexa closer. The brunette groaned and pressed her forehead to Clarke's shoulder.

"That was awful," she sighed, her breath sending a shiver down Clarke's spine as it brushed against her neck.

"I know," Clarke laughed, wrapping her arm around Lexa's waist. "I'll get better, I promise."

Lexa looked up at her then, their noses brushing, the look in her eyes stealing all the breath from Clarke's lungs. "You're already perfect," she breathed and Clarke sighed, her lips curving up in a smile.

"Oh, that was good," she said, leaning in until their lips were brushing. Lexa pressed their smiling mouths together and her helmet dropped from her grip as she wrapped both arms around Clarke's shoulders. There was no more talking after that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Clarke never thought she could feel as good as she did right now, doing absolutely nothing, with her feet propped up on a coffee table, a remote control in one hand and a brown curl in the other as she played with Lexa's hair. Lexa had her head rested on a pillow in Clarke's lap as some movie played on the TV that neither of them was paying attention to, anyway. It was the typical "white-boy-meets-white-girl" heteronormative nonsense that she typically rolled her eyes at, but there was nothing better on so they'd just settled on it while Clarke spent most of her time looking down into Lexa's beautiful green eyes and smiling like a fool. Lexa smiled back, sleepily, turning her head so that she could kiss whatever skin of Clarke's her lips could reach.

Clarke smiled and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Lexa's nose in return. "You're really cute," she said. "You know that?"

"I've been told," Lexa replied, sighing as she relaxed further into Clarke's embrace.

"By whom?" Clarke asked, feeling a spear of jealousy in her gut.

Lexa smirked, reaching up to tug at the back of Clarke's neck, pulling her down. Before their lips met, she murmured a soft, "You, mostly."

When they pulled away, Clarke was smiling happily, but she still had a questioning look on her face. "Who else?" she asked. This time it was thoughtful, rather than tinged with jealousy.

"My parents, Anya, a few guys on the team, and one very persistent thirteen-year-old boy."

"Which guys on the team?" Clarke asked, frowning and Lexa rolled her eyes.

"Calm down, Clarke," she huffed. "They all know I'm gay. Their use of the word wasn't exactly endearing; not like yours."

Clarke nodded. "I'm still gonna need names," she said.

"Why?"

"So I know who to make eye contact with after I make out with you on the field."

"You're very possessive of somebody who's not even technically your girlfriend."

"I just want them to know that, girlfriends or not, you're spoken for," Clarke said. "And very, very gay."

"I wouldn't say I'm _very_ gay…"

"Lexa, the first time we talked, it was because you got knocked down on the field after getting distracted by the cheerleading squad—the _all-female_ cheerleading squad."

"I wasn't distracted by _all_ of you," Lexa huffed. "Just the one that was calling my name. You're probably just as gay as I am."

"Not even close, babe," Clarke snorted.

"Babe?"

"Oh." Clarke flushed. "Do you not like terms of endearment?"

"No, I like them," Lexa said. "I just…wasn't expecting that, I guess…honey?"

Clarke snorted and pressed another kiss to Lexa's lips. "You're adorable," she said and Lexa beamed up at her, reaching up again, only to be stopped by the sound of a door opening and closing just up the short flight of stairs.

"Clarke? I'm home!"

Lexa's eyes widened and, in a move that thoroughly surprised the blonde, rolled off of the couch and quickly situated herself on an adjacent chair, sitting stiffly as they heard footsteps getting closer.

Abby Griffin appeared moments later, smiling tiredly at Clarke. "Hey, sweetheart," she greeted, half-yawning. "Did you eat yet? I was thinking of ordering—oh! Hello." Abby turned her attention to Lexa, who gave her a tight, nervous smile in return. "You must be a friend of Clarke's."

Lexa nodded and shot to her feet, holding out her hand—though she and Mrs. Griffin were about ten feet apart—and introduced herself. "Alexandria Woods," she said, formally. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Griffin."

Abby, thinking it odd, still offered Lexa a warm smile as she stepped closer to shake her hand. "You can call me Abby," she said, then turned to Clarke. "So how do you two know each other?"

"Lexa's on the football team," Clarke said, standing up and situating herself next to her…whatever they were.

"Oh, that's right!" Abby said. "You're the first female football player in Arcadia. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Ma'am," Lexa said, with a curt nod.

"Just Abby is fine," she laughed. "Are you girls hungry? I was just about to order some take out."

"I could eat," Clarke said, looking to Lexa with a questioning gaze.

Lexa swallowed thickly. "Food would be nice," she said. "If you don't mind my intrusion."

Abby furrowed her brows. "What intrusion?" she asked. "I'm the one that was supposed to be working tonight. If anybody's intruding, it's me." She gave Lexa an easy smile and the girl attempted to relax a little bit more, but found it difficult to do so in the presence of Clarke's mother (especially since she had her tongue down the blonde's throat less than an hour ago). "Chinese work for you?" she asked, looking between the girls, but especially at Lexa, who nodded. "Anything specific in mind or should I just order the usual?"

Lexa looked to Clarke for explanation.

"Pretty much everything on the menu," Clarke told her. "Mostly the vegetarian stuff, so it's still 'healthy' and I can heat it up while she's at work."

"Oh," Lexa said. "Well, that sounds fine, I guess."

"You don't want anything in particular?" Abby asked.

Lexa shrugged. "I've never really had takeout," Lexa admitted. "My dad was a gourmet chef, so we never really needed to order in."

Abby nodded and Clarke feared, for a moment, that she would mention Lexa's use of the word 'was', but she didn't. She just gave Lexa a friendly smile and said, "Okay," then turned and made her way back upstairs to order the food.

As soon as she was gone, Lexa's entire body relaxed and she turned to see Clarke snickering into her palm. She frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

"You," Clarke laughed, reaching out to pull Lexa into her body. "You're so adorable when you get all flustered like that."

"I'd hardly call _that_ flustered," Lexa huffed and Clarke just laughed harder, pressing her face into Lexa's neck, pressing a soft kiss there.

"Adorable," she breathed and Lexa couldn't fight her smile anymore as she wrapped her arms around Clarke in return and nuzzled her ear, making Clarke emit a happy noise that sent Lexa's heart aflutter. "Oh, hey, Mom," Clarke said, pulling back slightly.

In less than a second, Lexa ripped her body away from the blonde's, getting impressively far in the time it took for Clarke to snort out another peal of laughter as Lexa blinked at empty space where she obviously expected Abby to be. She turned to glare at Clarke as she continued to laugh, uproariously.

"Gotcha!"

"So, Lexa, how are you doing in school?"

Lexa's spine was so ramrod straight that Clarke was half-convinced that she had an actual steel rod shoved up her ass and the image in her head made her snicker as she took a sip of water. She felt Lexa's swift kick to the shin and jumped a little, hiding it well with a tiny cough and a bite of lo mein.

"Fine," Lexa said. "I'm a straight-A student, actually."

"And your grades haven't suffered from participating in sports?"

"Not at all," Lexa replied, smiling proudly. "I have a free period during school, so I'm able to do most—if not all—of my homework there. Otherwise, I'm pretty efficient at multi-tasking."

Abby nodded, taking a sip of her wine. "No time for a boyfriend or anything?"

Lexa's eyes widened and she turned to Clarke, her voice nearly as white as s sheet.

"Breathe," Clarke mouthed, before turning to her mother. "Um, _actually_ , Mom. I kind of wanted to talk to you about that. Lexa…Lexa and I are, um, dating."

Abby's eyebrows rose up at that. "Oh," she said, looking between the two girls. Lexa looked stricken. " _Oh_. Well. That's news." She took another sip of wine and cleared her throat. "So, are you two going to the dance together, then?"

Clarke looked to Lexa, whose eyes were wide with surprise at the casual reaction. She smirked and shook her head, turning back to her mother. "Yes," she said. "I asked her last night, at the carnival."

Abby smiled. "That sounds nice." She turned to Lexa. "Are you the one that gave her that cute little stuffed raccoon?" Lexa nodded. "That was very nice of you," she said. "Are you renting a limo with Raven and Octavia, again?"

"A limo?" Lexa asked, looking to Clarke.

"Right," she said. "I forgot about that. We haven't really talked much about it, but I think Raven's uncle has us covered on that. Like every year."

"Is Raven dating anybody now?"

"Indra," Clarke told her with a grin as Abby's eyes widened.

"The tall girl on your squad?" she asked with a smirk. "I did not see that one coming."

"Well, Miss Matchmaker here got them together," Lexa said, nodding to Clarke. She was finally starting to relax.

"I did not!" Clarke laughed, flushing. "They just started hanging out because we did. So it's just as much your fault as my own."

"And what about Octavia?" Abby asked, breaking through their bickering. "Is she finally going to go with Lincoln this year?"

"Maybe," Clarke said. "They're still hiding from Bellamy, but it's been, like, a year already. And I'm pretty sure her parents don't even care at this point. They're never around."

"I wish he would just leave them alone and let them be happy," Abby sighed. "It's not like they're hurting anybody. And Lincoln is a nice boy."

"Yeah, but you know how protective Bellamy can be," Clarke said, rolling her eyes. "O should just sock him in the jaw, I swear."

"I'd pay to see that," Abby joked. "So long as it doesn't happen at the school, because lord knows I don't want to hear him bitch about his sister's love life."

The girls laughed at that and Clarke shook her head, taking another sip of water and a bite of her food. "You and me both," she said.

Abby chuckled and finished the last bite of food on her plate, then downed the remainder of her wine. "Okay," she said. "I'm gonna go to bed now. You two good to put the food away and clean up a bit?" Clarke nodded. "Great. It was nice meeting you, Lexa," she said, before standing and making her way upstairs.

"You too, Mrs—Abby," Lexa replied, giving a small wave to her retreating back. When Abby was gone, she sunk back in her chair and sighed. She heard Clarke snort and turned her head to glare at her. "It's not funny."

"It's kinda funny," Clarke rebutted, scraping the last bite of food on her plate into her mouth. "It's kinda hilarious, actually," she said, mouth full. "Especially since, from the looks of it, my mom adores you…more or less." She stood and grabbed both her empty plate and Abby's, bringing them to the sink.

"What do you mean by more or less?" Lexa asked, following with her own plate and silverware.

Clarke shrugged. "She liked Finn, too," she said, softly.

"Oh."

"Yeah, and after what happened with him…I might be quicker to trust new people in my life than my mother is." Clarke sighed as she started the tap and poured a dollop of soap onto a sponge. "She's just very protective of me."

"But you still think she likes me?" Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded, with a wry grin. "Oh yes," she said. "She definitely does. Doesn't mean she trusts you any more than if she didn't, though."

"Should I be concerned?" Lexa asked, stepping up next to her.

Clarke glanced at her sideways and gave her a small smile and a shake of her head. "Nah, I think you're good," she said. "Just…don't do what _he_ did." She looked down at her hands as she scrubbed the sauce off the plate.

Suddenly, her hand was covered by Lexa's and she looked up to see the girl looking, very seriously, down at her. "I'll never hurt you, Clarke," she said, her voice soft and solemn. Clarke smiled and reached up to press a kiss to her lips. When she pulled back, they were both smiling and blushing.

"Then we have nothing to worry about," she said. "Come on; I'll wash, you dry."

Lexa took a deep breath and nodded, nudging Clarke a little bit with her hip. Clarke bumped back and flicked some soap at her. Lexa rebutted and soon they were giggling and splashing each other and then kissing. They spent a long time kissing.

And Clarke couldn't remember a time when she was this happy.

Neither could Lexa.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"How do I look?" Clarke twirled in front of the mirror, allowed the skirt of her dress to lift a little bit as she did so. Raven and Octavia were on her bed—the former with her head hanging off the edge, looking at her upside down; the latter propped up against her pillows, absently strumming the strings of Clarke's guitar—looking bored out of their minds. Clarke had invited them over to help her pick out a dress for the sports dinner…thing. Clarke still wasn't really sure what to call it, but she knew that Lexa would be there, probably looking great with her letterman jacket and her hair up and possibly in a dress (Clarke had never seen her in a dress, but she bet the sight would give her goosebumps and heart palpitations.).

But now she had tried on three different dresses (why did she have so many dress-casual black dresses? She had no idea) and the girls were beginning to get irritated.

"You look fantastic," Raven said, her voice monotonous. "Lexa will probably take you right there in front of everybody, you're so hot."

"Raven!" Clarke groaned, feeling her cheeks bloom with heat.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Raven asked. "It looks identical to the last one you put on. And the one before it. You really need to add a little diversity to your wardrobe, Clarke."

Clarke turned back to look at herself. This dress was nice, if just a little plain. It was a turtle neck (which hid the indentations from Lexa's teeth from the night before) and sleeveless. The shirt flared the tiniest bit at the bottom, making her look like a bell on legs. At the store, Clarke had thought it looked pretty, but now she frowned, wrinkling her nose.

"Not this one," she said, marching back into her closet as her friends' groans followed her.

When she returned, Clarke was smoothing down the skirt of a slightly shorter, halter top dress, with a plunging neckline and an open back. It was a little racier than the last ones she'd tried on, but this one she actually did like. She twirled as she stepped out of the closet and giggled a little as she stumbled in front of the mirror.

Behind her, Raven whistled and she heard Octavia pluck a chord on her guitar, as if to add to the sentiment. She smiled brightly at her reflection, turning to check the back of her dress, making sure that her underwear wasn't visible. Thankfully, it wasn't (though, to be honest, she was more than willing to forgo it just so she could wear this) and she admired the long lines of her legs as she turned to look at her friends, who were both slack-jawed. She raised one eyebrow.

"So?" she asked. "What do you think?"

"I think I need to dump Indra and steal you from Lexa," Raven said, then immediately looked terrified. "I'm just kidding. Please don't tell Indra I said that."

Octavia made a whip sound out of the corner of her mouth and Raven shoved her foot in the other girl's face. Octavia slapped it away and placed the guitar to the side, then promptly jumped onto Raven, the two pseudo-wrestling while Clarke watched, shaking her head.

"Children," she muttered. "My best friends are children."

"Hey! _She's_ the delinquent that's beating up a disabled person," Raven argued.

"I'm not even touching your bad leg, you big baby!" Octavia growled back as they continued to wrestle.

"If you guys are finished," Clarke interrupted, stepping to the bed and bodily flipping Octavia off of Raven, "I seriously need to get ready now. O, can you help me with my hair?"

"Of course!" Octavia said, scrambling off the bed. "I was thinking a carefully messy up-do, you know? With a few curled tendrils of hair in the front, like you kinda care, but not really. It'll go great with that necklines, and maybe a pair of hoops?"

"Sounds good to me," Clarke chuckled. "You're the expert here."

"Not really," Octavia sighed. "But having an aunt who's a hairdresser is pretty helpful. Now go sit and point out the curling iron."

"It's in the bathroom," Clarke said, walking toward her vanity. "There are some ponytail holders in the medicine cabinet, next to a bottle of hairspray."

"You know your medicine cabinet is for medicine, right Clarke?" Raven teased. Clarke flipped her off as she sat down, looking at herself in the trifold mirror. Her face was completely devoid of makeup now (not that she ever really wore it heavily to begin with) and the hickeys on her neck were only slightly hidden by her halter. She considered, briefly, hiding them with a little foundation, but figured that would be ridiculous. She wasn't trying to hide her relationship with Lexa, after all, and nobody would even know who had made the marks to begin with, anyway.

"Okay," Octavia said as she showed up in the mirror behind Clarke's head, "let's get started, shall we?"

Lexa stood nervously in the catering hall lobby, adjusting and readjusting her tie as she waited for her—for Clarke to show up. Many of her teammates and other jocks were standing around as well, talking and laughing, and flirting with the cheerleaders that had already arrived. She could see Bellamy talking animatedly to Indra about something just a few feet away and she wanted to go over there and join the conversation, but she was afraid that she would almost immediately become distracted by thoughts of Clarke—who was very, very late.

Lexa sighed and looked at her watch, her shoulders slumping slightly. Okay, Clarke was only about ten minutes late, and she really wasn't the only one. Even Coach Titus had yet to show his face and he'd been the one to remind them all of the time before they left practice earlier that day. There was no real reason for Lexa to be nervous.

Except there was. There really, really was, because—

"Calm down, will ya?" a voice said in her ear and Lexa turned to see Lincoln and Indra standing next to her, amusement twinkling in her eyes. He was giving her a sideways grin. "You look like you're about to propose or something."

"Propose?" Lexa choked. "Like…like _marriage_? Lincoln, Clarke and I are far too young for—" At the look on his face, Lexa trailed off, feeling her face heat up. "Oh. You were…you were joking, weren't you?"

"Yes," Lincoln said, chuckling. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Relax. And fix your tie." He straightened the red silk for her, tightening the knot a little, before allowing it to lay back against the black shirt. Then he marveled for a moment at the well-fitting suit. "Where's you get this tailored?" he asked.

"My grandmother is a seamstress in TonDC," Lexa told him. "She's been tailoring suits for almost sixty years."

"Nice," Lincoln commented. "Think she could do mine? It's a little tight in the biceps now that training's begun. I'm afraid it's gonna rip." He flexed and Lexa rolled her eyes, shoving him away.

"Showoff," she snorted and he chuckled, then suddenly stopped, facing the door.

"Whoa…"

Lexa narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you looking…at…wow…" Her entire body thrummed with electricity as she spotted the blonde bombshell walk into the lobby, looking all around.

Clarke was wearing a gorgeous, black halter top dress with a cinched waist and a wide skirt that fell to just above her knees and fluttered with each step in a pair of open-toed, black heels. Her golden blonde hair was up in a messy fashion, the edges still pink from 'Crazy Hair Day' and curls framing her face attractively. There were silver hoops hanging from her ears, as well, and her lips were as red as blood, complimenting not only her skin tone, but everything that was uniquely…Clarke.

And when their eyes met, it was like the world melted away, and there was only Clarke, surrounded by a halo of light and color. She could see, even from the distance, as Clarke's cheeks were filled with heat, flushed pink and beautiful.

Oh god, she was just so beautiful.

She was so beautiful.

Clarke's heart beat a little faster at the sight of Lexa in her suit, her letterman jacket folded over her arm like a blanket. It fit her like a glove; accentuating her curves and widening her shoulders just slightly. Her brown curls fell around her shoulders like cascading waves, a slight bump in her hair and braids at the sides to pull it away from her face. She was wearing minimal makeup (just some eyeliner and barely-there light pink lip gloss) and a pair of tiny diamond studs in her ears, which Clarke could only see because of the glint of light off the chandelier above.

Altogether, Lexa looked breathtakingly beautiful and handsome all at the same time and she wondered how that was possible—though she bet that Lexa would be more graceful than Clarke was, as she stumbled towards the brunette in this impossible heels, which Raven and Octavia had convinced her would make the outfit complete. She tried her best to remain upright as she approached Lexa, who was standing with Lincoln and Indra, though Clarke barely even acknowledged them, instead stopping in front of Lexa, a shy smile on her lips.

"Hey," she greeted, her voice soft and saying so much more than just the simple greeting.

"Hey," Lexa replied, equally as shy, her cheeks turning pink. Clarke's smile widened and she reached out to cup the girl's jaw. Lexa pressed into her palm and Clarke's heart sang. "You look beautiful," Lexa said. "But then, what else is new?"

"Smooth," Clarke laughed. "Did you practice that line in the mirror?"

"Maybe," Lexa teased, leaning in to press her lips to Clarke's.

"Aww!" they heard and they parted to see Indra and Lincoln gazing at them, fluttering their eyelashes, teasingly, as they clasped their hands together.

"Oh, piss off," Lexa huffed, grabbing Clarke's hand as she snickered, allowing the—now shorter, due to Clarke's heels—brunette lead her to the hall where they would have dinner. Heads turned as they walked past, their classmates' eyes widened at the sight of their tangled fingers. Clarke didn't really care much about what people thought of them (she'd been out as bi since elementary school), but she still cast a sidelong glance at Lexa, who seemed to be taking it all in stride.

Inside, Lexa located the table designated for the football team and their dates (it was pretty much expected for the athletes to bring dates, so there was always plenty of room) and spotted Bellamy, with his back turned toward them, chatting quietly with Murphy and Harper.

"I wonder who the new girl's going to bring," Bellamy mused. "Probably some kind of nerd. Maybe Monty."

"I thought Monty was dating Jasper," Harper said, catching sight of Clarke and Lexa as they walked up, fingers intertwined. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "No. Way."

Bellamy and Murphy turned, their own eyes widening at the sight. "Holy shit," Murphy said. "New girl's got her own girl. Good going, Woods."

"Um…thank you?" Lexa said, not sure if his words were sincere or not.

"You two are dating now?" Bellamy asked. "Since when?"

Clarke and Lexa shared a look, then turned back to him. "Monday," Clarke said, with a decisive nod. "Octavia didn't tell you?" He shook his head. "Well…yeah. We're dating. Problem?" She lifted her eyebrow, challengingly.

Bellamy lifted his hands up in defense, shaking his head. "None whatsoever," he said. "You do you." His words held a hint of sarcasm in them that rubbed both Clarke and Lexa the wrong way, but they ignored it in favor of finding a seat a little ways away.

Lexa let go of Clarke's hand long enough to pull out her chair for her and Clarke gave her an affectionate grin, reaching up to press a kiss to Lexa's cheek, which made the brunette flush, hotly. "Such a gentleman," Clarke teased and Lexa grinned, shaking her head.

"Shut up," she murmured as Clarke laughed and sat down in the chair, allowing herself to be pushed in. Then Lexa took her seat next to Clarke and they reached for each other under the table, fingers interlocking once again. Clarke shivered when Lexa's thumb rubbed a soothing pattern on her palm and Lexa bit her lip when she felt the blonde's ankle cross with hers. They shared secret smiles as they waited for the event to begin.

"You two really _are_ gross," a voice said from behind them. They both turned to see Indra wrinkling her nose as Lincoln held out her chair.

"Says the girl who perpetually has her tongue down my best friend's throat," Clarke shot back. "Both of you, actually." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"What did I do?" Lincoln asked, frowning, his eyebrows knotted together.

"You know what you did."

Lincoln gave her the kicked puppy look and Eliza rolled her eyes, unable to keep herself from grinning when he stuck his tongue out at her. She mirrored the move and snorted when he made another ridiculous face. He could be such a child sometimes; Clarke could understand why Octavia loved him. She just wished that they could be open about it.

At that thought, she glared over at Bellamy, who was laughing at something Murphy just said. For as long as Clarke could remember, he'd tried to control most aspects of his sister's life—at least, as far as her love life went. He'd threatened most of the boys that so much as talked to her, made sure that they knew she was off-limits. Even Jasper, when he'd first shown interest in her. By that time, Octavia already had her eyes on Lincoln—who definitely noticed her—but pretended to like Jasper back (but not without warning him that her brother would likely be out for his blood) and Bellamy, predictably, told him to keep his distance—or else.

Octavia had witnessed this one and had practically knocked her brother out for scaring Jasper so much that he was practically shaking. Monty had rushed to his side, trying to calm him down. Clarke would like to think that that's where _their_ relationship began, just so Octavia could say that something positive came out of her brother's possessiveness.

But it probably didn't work that way. And now Lincoln was here, without her, sitting at the same table as the reason he wasn't able to hold the hand of the girl he loved…yet he was still smiling. Lincoln was always smiling. He had just a good attitude and such a gentle spirit. You almost wouldn't know it, just by looking at him and the bulk of his body and the way he used it on the football field, playing defense. He was fierce and focused and agile, had gotten involved in more than one fight during a game, but that was mainly to pull people like Murphy and Miller off of their opponents when they got a little too fired up.

Lincoln was the peacemaker and he deserved to be happy with Octavia, even if it meant Bellamy got annoyed. Fuck Bellamy, to be quite honest.

"So," Clarke said, keeping her voice low as she leaned toward him, "have you asked Octavia to Homecoming yet?"

"You know that I can't," Lincoln sighed. "Bellamy would—"

" _Screw_ Bellamy," Clarke huffed. "He doesn't control Octavia and he sure as hell doesn't control you. He shouldn't be the reason that you two aren't together at that dance."

"He told their parents that I'm on steroids," Lincoln hissed, looking around to make sure nobody was listening.

"What?" Clarke growled, almost too loudly. "Why the fuck—"

"Somebody told him that Octavia had a crush on me." He almost huffed out a laugh at the irony. "He wanted to make sure that, if we tried, we wouldn't be able to act on it."

"That is majorly abusive," Indra said, leaning in on their conversation. "Somebody should do something about him."

"I could kick his ass," Lexa offered. "Bellamy seems like the kind of guy who wouldn't admit to getting his ass kicked by a girl. Even one that's on the football team."

"I could help," Indra said. "A cheerleader might hurt his ego even more."

"Nobody's kicking anybody's ass," Lincoln hissed. "Just leave it alone. We only have to deal with him for one more year, and then Octavia and I can be out in the open while he's at college."

"What about her parents?" Clarke asked.

Lincoln shrugged. "I'll take a drug test," he said. "Show them that I'm clean. I'll even offer to let Dr. Blake take my blood or something. I don't care. They're not going to keep me away from her. Or vice versa."

"Why don't you just do that tomorrow?" Clarke asked. "Or, better yet, tonight?"

"You want me to go to Octavia's parents and tell them I'm not on drugs? Tonight? It's going to be, like, ten by the time we get out of here. How is that going to convince them I'm not on drugs?"

"You know you don't actually have to be here tonight, right?" Lexa said. "You're not receiving any awards, are you?"

"No…"

"Then you can leave. Coach Titus won't care. If he does, we'll just tell him that you went home to get some rest for the big game. He won't even question it."

Lincoln nodded but was still hesitant to leave his spot. "Wait," he said, looking at Indra. "I'm supposed to be your date tonight."

"I'm gay, Lincoln," Indra said. "I have a girlfriend and you have a girlfriend; this," she motioned between them, "is not a real date. What you have to do is way more important. Just go."

"Are you sure?"

"Go!" Indra hissed, practically shoving him out of his seat. Lincoln snorted and stood up, causing a few gazes to fall on him as he started toward the exit.

"Thanks, guys," he said. "Enjoy your dinner!" He gave them a little wave over his shoulder and they all waved back.

"Do you really think Octavia's parents will listen to him?" Indra asked.

"Aurora Blake can be a little overbearing sometimes, but she's open to discussion," Clarke replied.

"Good. Octavia and Lincoln deserve to be happy; together or apart."

Clarke and Lexa nodded in agreement as they watched Lincoln slip out into the night.


End file.
